World's fastest 75-year-old woman: 'Never think that you're too old'
Sarah Roberts is the fastest over-75 woman in history over 800m, 1500m and 3,000m. She started running aged 67 when she was introduced to parkrun while on holiday with her husband in Cape Town in 2017. She now hold a series of world records.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Mothers fight to protect children from drugs as ‘hotspotting' takes hold in Lesotho
Pontso Tumisi remembers seeing crystal meth for the first time in her daughter's bedroom several years ago. When her daughter said the crystals were bath salts, she believed her. Now, she regrets that naivety. Tumisi says a lack of knowledge about drugs among parents and guardians has allowed many children's use of dangerous substances to go undetected. Amplifying the risks inherent in drug-taking is 'bluetoothing' or 'hotspotting', which involves drawing the blood of an intoxicated person and injecting into others to share the high – a trend that's been seen in several countries over the past few years, including Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Lesotho, hotspotting usually involves crystal meth, which has become one of the most common drugs in urban areas. Lesotho has one of the highest HIV rates in the world, and as Tumisi points out, bluetoothing increases the risk of spreading the virus as well as other blood-borne diseases. Tumisi, 45, is now a public relations officer for Mokhosi oa Mangoana (A Mother's Cry), a women's organisation spearheading the fight against substance abuse in Lesotho, a landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, where half the population live below the poverty line. 'You would be shocked what parents are doing for their children out of love but unknowingly aiding substance abuse. Some are made to purchase different items and substances under the pretext of learning materials,' Tumisi says. 'Young children are using drugs in plain sight because parents and guardians have no information about harmful substances. Parents are buying their children things like meth pipes thinking they are for school, and hookahs and vapes, which are all harmful, thinking they're fashionable. 'When they think of drugs, they think of the smell of marijuana, but the bulk of substances used nowadays don't have such distinct smells. Some are edibles and they look just like sweets.' While there are no official statistics on drug abuse in Lesotho, Mphonyane Mofokeng, founder of the Anti-Drug Abuse Association of Lesotho (Adaal), says a recent study by the Heal Our Land Organisation showed that 68% of high school pupils had used illicit substances. The study was carried out in the northern region of the country, which includes the capital, Maseru. 'This is proof enough of the high magnitude of substance use among young people in Lesotho,' says Mofokeng. One parent told Adaal that her child started 'hotspotting' during the school holidays. 'Due to the shocking statistics and the harm that children are exposing themselves to through hotspotting, we are stepping up efforts to come up with preventive interventions as well as rehabilitation,' Mofokeng says. Maj Gen Khomo Mohobo, who is part of an army-run youth development initiative at the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), says bluetoothing is a serious concern. 'Young people, who sometimes do not have enough money to buy the drugs they want, are exposing themselves to all kinds of dangers by injecting themselves with the blood of others,' he says. 'A fix may cost R300 [about £12] and they contribute money and only one person takes the drugs. Once that person gets intoxicated, their friends then draw his or her blood and inject it into their own veins to get high. 'They call it hotspotting, but there are lot of terms that we hear the youths using when we do our youth development initiatives,' he adds. When Tumisi realised her daughter was taking drugs, she contacted another woman, Mamphana Molosti, who lived in a neighbouring village and had been attacked by her drug addicted son. They decided to form an association of women in similar situations. Mokhosi oa Mangoana provides information, counselling and training for mothers whose children are taking drugs and offers advice on detecting signs of substance abuse. The group has also been lobbying parliament to enact stricter laws and establish a working committee to monitor the situation, as well as building a rehabilitation centre. But that has not been easy, she says. There is little political will to implement their ideas and they face frequent resistance from lower-ranking law enforcement officers, says Tumisi. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion 'We have reported dealers to different police stations multiple times and even tried to effect citizens' arrests but that has not worked. In fact, we have realised that in some cases, officers are involved [in the drugs trade],' she says. Molotsi, 47, survived a brutal attack in 2023 when her then 23-year-old son stabbed her after she questioned him about some money he had stolen. 'I only had 50 maloti [£2]in the house and my son took it and bought drugs. When I asked him, he became angry and he attacked me. He used everything that he could lay his hands on until he took a knife and stabbed me multiple times. 'The doctors said I was saved by one stab wound, which punctured my chest and allowed blood to flow out. Had it not been for that, my lungs would have filled up and I would have died.' By the time she regained consciousness, her son was in custody. Molotsi does not see her son as a monster but as someone who needed help. She visits him every week and is hoping he will be paroled soon from Maseru's squalid Central Correctional Institute. She fears that if he serves all of his six-year term, he could come back more addicted. The prison featured in a Netflix documentary on the world's toughest prisons. Earlier this month, Mokhosi oa Mangoana hosted trainers from the drug advisory programme (DAP) of the Colombo Plan, a Sri Lankan-based intergovernmental development organisation. The DAP, which operates in 80 countries, helps teach community leaders, counsellors, health professionals and police officers about the prevention and treatment of drug use. The team was led by Colombo Plan's Africa manager, George Murimi, who said cases of drug abuse had increased exponentially in the past decade. 'We are receiving a lot of calls, mainly from women. That is an indicator that cases are more rampant,' says Tumisi. But she and Molotsi say they have not lost hope. 'We are prepared to continue fighting,' says Tumisi. Yet they worry about the prevalence of dangerous methods of drug-taking such as bluetoothing. 'The work that has been done in fighting HIV and Aids is being reversed,' says Tumisi. Mokhosi oa Mangoana, which now has 150 members, is working to educate ordinary citizens as well as health workers to curb stigmatisation in healthcare centres and communities. Its members are all women as they are the worst affected, while men seldom open up about such matters, says Tumisi. 'As women, we are at risk. We are threatened daily. I have been attacked multiple times and my daughter has been assaulted and drugged in an attempt to deter me from fighting, but I'm not fazed. All hope will be lost if we buckle under pressure.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Former Exeter flanker Ewers retires aged 34
Former Exeter flanker Dave Ewers has retired from rugby 34-year-old came up through Exeter's academy ranks and was a key part of the side that reached six consecutive Premiership finals and won the 2020 European Champions Cup. Injury kept him out of Exeter's 2017 Premiership final win over Wasps, but he started in their 2020 final victory against the same opponents having also started the Champions Cup final the week was called up to the England squad in February 2016, but a series of injuries meant he never went on to win an England made 226 Exeter appearances and scored 40 tries before joining Ulster in the summer of 2023. The Zimbabwe-born forward has spent the past season playing for Cape Town-based side Stormers in the United Rugby Championship where he played nine times. "Thank you to Rob (Baxter, Exeter director of rugby) and everyone involved at Exeter for giving me the opportunity all those years ago, was a special journey going from the Championship to winning the double in 2020," Ewers said on social media as he announced his retirement., external"To all the boys, thank you for all the memories, I feel nothing but blessed to have experienced everything along the way with you all, on and off the pitch."We shared some incredible memories that I will never forget. "A special mention to all the backroom staff of everywhere I've been, and especially Exeter where I had all my injuries. Thank you for getting me back on the pitch. "To all the fans, near and far, thank you for all the support over the years, it's meant a lot to me."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Joanne Froggatt among signatories calling on Government to take action on Sudan
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is among dozens of famous faces who have called on the UK Government to take 'rapid action' and provide humanitarian aid to Sudan. Froggatt is among 50 high-profile people from TV, film, music and sport who have signed an open letter led by children's charity Plan International UK which calls on the Prime Minister to tackle the crisis in Sudan by maintaining funding commitments after announcing a cut in the foreign aid budget. The letter, which was also signed by Warfare's Will Poulter, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, will be delivered to 10 Downing Street on Monday alongside a petition signed by more than 8,500 members of the public. Froggatt said: 'Millions of children have been forced into dangerous, overcrowded camps both within and beyond Sudan. These are not safe places for such young lives. 'Children's lives are now characterised by danger and death as hunger and disease spread while the violence rages on. 'They are suffering in silence. We need to draw attention to this crisis and demand rapid action from the UK Government. By talking about Sudan we can save children's lives.' Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Emergency Watchlist, which analyses countries that are most likely to experience a new or worsening humanitarian crisis, for a second consecutive year. The IRC has also described it as 'the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world' and the 'largest humanitarian crisis on record'. England footballer Lucy Bronze, director Sir Steve McQueen and musician Peter Gabriel have also added their names to the open letter alongside TV cook Delia Smith and boxer Ramla Ali. The letter reads: 'Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country's population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 'Time is quickly running out. Violence, starvation and disease are killing more and more children every day. The UK Government must do all it can to help save lives before it is too late.' Burns, who is known for her hit song Go, added: 'What's happening in Sudan is devastating. 'Children are being torn from their homes, going hungry, and living through horrors no one should ever face. 'We can't turn away or stay quiet. The world needs to act before even more lives are lost.' The letter also urges the Government to increase international pressure and mediation to ensure a ceasefire as well as providing emergency funding and scaling up mutual aid groups. Poulter, who is known for We're The Millers and The Maze Runner, said: 'The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. 'The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. 'With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can't let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.' The letter is supported by a coalition of aid organisations, including the chief executives of Cafod, Save the Children UK, Action Against Hunger, Christian Aid, and leading Sudanese campaigners. Mohamed Kamal, country director for Plan International Sudan, said: 'The sheer scale of the suffering being endured by people in Sudan is almost impossible to comprehend. 'Two years of brutal fighting, severe restrictions on the delivery of life-saving aid and a near-total collapse of the food supply across the country has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale the world hasn't witnessed in generations. 'With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.' A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. 'The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and last month announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. 'The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.'
