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Cyprus Steps up Desalination as Worsening Droughts Parch the Island 

An aerial view of Kouris reservoir in Limassol, Cyprus August 27, 2025. (Reuters)
An aerial view of Kouris reservoir in Limassol, Cyprus August 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Cyprus Steps up Desalination as Worsening Droughts Parch the Island 

An aerial view of Kouris reservoir in Limassol, Cyprus August 27, 2025. (Reuters)
An aerial view of Kouris reservoir in Limassol, Cyprus August 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Saint Nicholas church in the hills above Limassol, normally submerged in the Kouris Reservoir, offers a stark glimpse of the worsening water crisis in Cyprus. The belfry is fully exposed and the building is surrounded by parched earth.

Lying at the far east of the Mediterranean, Cyprus has always lived with drought. But climate change has turned dry spells into a permanent challenge and authorities are increasingly turning to desalination to meet rising water needs.

Annual rainfall has dropped an estimated 15% in the past 90 years, while temperatures in Nicosia have risen 1.8 degrees Celsius in the past century — double the global average according to official data.

As of September 1, the island’s reservoirs were just 14.7% full.

Demand for water has surged three-fold since 1990 because of population growth and a surge in tourism, leaving Cyprus with a constant water deficit. The country has a population of just under 1 million, and nearly 3 million tourists visit annually.

In 2023 the deficit reached 66 million cubic meters — more than 26,000 Olympic-sized pools - said Yianna Oikonomidou, senior executive engineer at the water development department.

"It really shows how big the problem is, and why we are trying to cover this deficit with non-conventional sources such as desalination, and also re-use of treated water which fully aligns with the principles of a circular economy," she said.

Desalination was first introduced in Cyprus in 1997 and now covers about 70% of drinking water needs. Mobile plants from the United Arab Emirates were installed this summer, with authorities planning more next year. Ultimately, the government wants desalination to meet all household and business needs.

"Our aim is to end reliance on weather," said Maria Panayiotou, minister for Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources. The present administration, she said, adopted a policy to keep desalination units running whatever the season.

"Rain or no rain, Cyprus must cover its needs in water supply and we can do that only by utilizing technology available to us, improving our networks and developing a water conscience to minimize wastage."

But as the desalination plants hum along the coast, some criticize the reliance on seawater.

"It is very expensive ... and if you are not careful, can cause a lot of damage," warned MP Charalambos Theopemptou, chair of parliament's Environment Committee.

He said fishermen have complained of depleted stocks and "no life" in areas where brine from desalination is discharged. The Agriculture Ministry insists monitoring has found no adverse impact.

Scientists warn the island faces deeper risks. Farming practices, including growing water-intensive crops, are hastening desertification.

"Apart from Troodos and Pentadaktylos (mountain ranges), all other areas are potentially desertified," said Michael Loizides, a chemical and environmental engineer at the AKTI Project and Research Centre.

His group is involved in an EU-funded pilot seeking sustainable ways to prevent land degradation, such as composting to restore soil and improve water retention. "Cyprus is in a devastating situation. This means we have to be creative and innovative," he said.

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Varieties

Texas Lawsuit Accuses Netflix of Illegal Data Collection

FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the Netflix logo on one of their buildings in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the Netflix logo on one of their buildings in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
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Texas Lawsuit Accuses Netflix of Illegal Data Collection

FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the Netflix logo on one of their buildings in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the Netflix logo on one of their buildings in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo

The top prosecutor in Texas filed a lawsuit against Netflix on Monday, accusing the streaming giant of improperly collecting users' data and designing its platform to be addictive.

"When you watch Netflix, Netflix watches you," reads the opening section of the 59-page lawsuit filed in state court at a Dallas-area courthouse by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton describes the streamer as a giant data repository where it tracks and logs users' viewing habits, preferences and "other sensitive behavioral data," according to a press release that describes Netflix as spying on Texas kids and consumers, said AFP.

Netflix provides these inputs to advertisers so they can better target the company's subscribers, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit also accuses Netflix of employing techniques that would make young viewers become addicted to the platform.

These include an "autoplay" function that activates on the default setting, including for children, meaning once one show ends, another episode automatically begins.

"This lawsuit lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information," Netflix said in a statement to AFP.

"Netflix takes our members' privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data protection laws everywhere we operate."

Paxton, who is engaged in a tight primary contest for US Senate against incumbent John Cornyn, said in a statement: "Netflix is not the ad-free and kid-friendly platform it claims to be."

"Instead, it has misled consumers while exploiting their private data to make billions," he added.

The suit asks for injunctions prohibiting Netflix from collecting or disclosing data on consumers during the litigation.

The complaint also seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a Texas state law.

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Pediatricians Group Finds Kids of All Ages Need Regular Recess for Physical and Mental Health

Students play ball during recess at the St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (AP)
Students play ball during recess at the St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (AP)
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Pediatricians Group Finds Kids of All Ages Need Regular Recess for Physical and Mental Health

Students play ball during recess at the St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (AP)
Students play ball during recess at the St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (AP)

Recess isn’t just a fun break for grade schoolers. It’s crucial to good health and good grades for kids of all ages.

That's the message from a leading pediatricians group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected.

The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking recesses and worsening children’s health.

The group "has always supported play – free play for kids – but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” partly by the drive for higher test scores, said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author. “It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest.”

The new guidance, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is similar to the previous policy statement but cites the latest research on why these breaks are essential for kids’ academic success and mental, physical, social and emotional growth.

For example, new evidence shows that kids need pauses between concentrated bouts of learning so the brain can hold and store the information. Researchers also say recess gives kids a chance to navigate relationships and build confidence, which is just as important for older kids as younger ones.

Murray and his colleagues also stressed the importance of physical activity in preventing obesity, a condition that now affects about 1 in 5 US children and teens.

Given these benefits, they recommend that recess be protected and never withheld for academic or punitive reasons, as sometimes happens in schools.

“If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, adding that students struggling with behavioral issues or grades are often the ones who need recess most.

But those students aren’t the only ones losing out. Recess has been waning for all kids. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts nationally have reduced or eliminated recess, according to data from the group Springboard to Active Schools in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, the duration of recess varies widely across US schools, ranging from less than 10 minutes to more than an hour a day, the pediatrics group said. Older kids generally get less time than younger ones.

Ideally, studies show, kids should get a minimum of 20 minutes a day and multiple breaks. In other countries such as Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, students get breaks after every 45 minutes to 50 minutes of classroom instruction.

“They should get a long enough period of time where they can de-stress and blow off steam and prepare for the next class,” Murray said.

Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a childhood obesity expert at Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston, said she’s glad about the updated recess recommendations. She’s seen the importance of recess as both a doctor and mother of two. She recalled how her 8-year-old son learned how to play basketball at recess and now loves the game.

Fiechtner, who wasn’t involved in creating the guidance, agrees with the recommendation that middle and high school students need recess, too.

“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens. So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening,” she said. “Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”

Varieties

Nazi-Looted Portrait Found in Home of Dutch SS Leader’s Family

This handout photograph taken in an undisclosed area and released by Arthur Brand on May 11, 2026, shows the painting "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, an art piece stolen from the world-famous Goudstikker collection by the Nazis, discovered in the house of the descendants of a notorious Dutch SS collaborator. (Handout and Arthur Brand / AFP)
This handout photograph taken in an undisclosed area and released by Arthur Brand on May 11, 2026, shows the painting "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, an art piece stolen from the world-famous Goudstikker collection by the Nazis, discovered in the house of the descendants of a notorious Dutch SS collaborator. (Handout and Arthur Brand / AFP)
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Nazi-Looted Portrait Found in Home of Dutch SS Leader’s Family

This handout photograph taken in an undisclosed area and released by Arthur Brand on May 11, 2026, shows the painting "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, an art piece stolen from the world-famous Goudstikker collection by the Nazis, discovered in the house of the descendants of a notorious Dutch SS collaborator. (Handout and Arthur Brand / AFP)
This handout photograph taken in an undisclosed area and released by Arthur Brand on May 11, 2026, shows the painting "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, an art piece stolen from the world-famous Goudstikker collection by the Nazis, discovered in the house of the descendants of a notorious Dutch SS collaborator. (Handout and Arthur Brand / AFP)

An artwork plundered by the Nazis from the world-famous Goudstikker collection has surfaced in the family of a notorious SS collaborator in the Netherlands, Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told AFP Monday.

"Portrait of a Young Girl", by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, had likely been hanging for decades in the home of descendants of Hendrik Seyffardt, Brand said, describing it as "the most bizarre case of my entire career".

The case has drawn parallels to a find that made global headlines in 2025, when an 18th-century Nazi-looted painting -- also from the collection of late Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker -- featured in a property ad in Argentina.

In the Dutch case, Brand said he was approached by a man who had recently uncovered two horrifying secrets: he was a descendant of Seyffardt, and his family had displayed the looted art for years.

This family member, who wished to remain anonymous, told Brand he saw the painting hanging in the hallway of the granddaughter of Seyffardt, who was assassinated by Dutch resistance fighters in 1943.

Seyffardt, one of the highest-ranking Dutch collaborators with the Nazis, commanded a Waffen-SS unit of Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front.

The New York Times splashed news of his death on its front page in 1943, and a lavish Nazi state funeral was held for him in The Hague, complete with a wreath sent by Adolf Hitler.

According to Brand, Seyffardt's granddaughter told the family member the painting was "Jewish looted art, stolen from Goudstikker. It is unsellable. Don't tell anyone."

But the family member wanted the story to go public, so contacted Brand, who has made a name for himself cracking numerous high-profile cases of stolen art.

This family member told De Telegraaf daily: "I feel ashamed. The painting should be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker."

The grandmother, quoted by the Dutch daily, said the family was discussing whether the painting should be returned to the Goudstikker heirs, and denied knowing it was looted.

"I received it from my mother. Now that you confront me like this, I understand that Goudstikker's heirs want the painting back. I didn't know that," she was quoted as saying.

- 'Truly tops everything' -

Brand launched his own investigation. The painting has a Goudstikker label on the back and the number 92 carved into the frame.

He searched the archives of an auction in 1940 where part of the looted Goudstikker collection went under the hammer and found item number 92: "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Toon Kelder.

Hermann Goering, a top Nazi official, plundered Goudstikker's entire collection when the art dealer fled to England in 1940.

Brand surmises that the Dutch collaborator Seyffardt acquired the painting at the 1940 auction and it was then passed down throughout the generations.

Lawyers for the Goudstikker heirs confirmed to Brand that this painting was looted and have called for its return.

The family member who contacted Brand also wants the painting returned to the Goudstikker heirs, but the police are powerless as the theft has passed the statute of limitations.

The Dutch Restitution Committee, which advises on looted Nazi art, is also hamstrung as it cannot compel private individuals to return artworks.

"The family member sees public exposure as the only way to hopefully return the painting to the Goudstikker heirs, where it rightfully belongs," Brand told AFP.

Brand, who has been nicknamed the "Indiana Jones of the Art World" for his extraordinary finds, said this surpassed anything he had uncovered before.

"I have recovered Nazi-looted art from World War II before, including pieces in the Louvre, the Dutch Royal Collection, and numerous museums," he said.

"But discovering a painting from the famous Goudstikker collection, in the possession of the heirs of a notorious Dutch Waffen-SS general, truly tops everything."