Features

  Bloomberg Protein, protein, protein. We can’t seem to get enough. Have a strawberry-banana protein smoothie for breakfast, a cookies ‘n’ cream protein bar for lunch, some chili nacho cheese protein chips for a snack, and a high-protein frozen pizza for dinner. And don’t forget your kids. There are protein products made just for them, too. For many consumers, “protein” ...

  Sapa / AFP At the top of Vietnam’s Fansipan Mountain, throngs of giddy tourists wielding selfie sticks jostle for a photo op on the once-remote peak in the Sapa region, famed for its breathtaking views across undulating rice terraces. Getting to the top traditionally takes a two-day trek but these days most visitors opt for a 20-minute ride by ...

  Ariha / AFP With the deftness of decades of experience, Abu Mohammad wove thick green thread with a wooden loom in northwest Syria, creating a vibrant geometric pattern renowned among Arabic textiles. It was the last day before the weaver in his 50s would be forced to close the workshop, leaving the last five remaining looms in his hometown ...

  Rissani / AFP On the edge of the southwestern town of Rissani, Abdelrahman Ahmidani sighs as he reflects on the state of the Moroccan oasis, endangered by drought and climate change. “Whoever lives here,” he says, “is condemned to a life of poverty.” In Rissani, the sinuous mountain oasis of Tafilalet gradually disappears into the Sahara desert, after snaking ...

  Hamburg / DPA He’s the last man in Europe to hold down a dream job of journalism: exploring the world’s wildernesses, writing about it and getting paid a generous full-time salary for his pains. Following in the footsteps of Henry Morton Stanley of Africa fame and Tintin the fictitious boy reporter is Lars Abromeit, a German whose unique editorial ...

  Emirates Business Canon has announced the XC15 — a compact, 4K (UHD) and Full HD video camcorder with stills capability, aimed at content creators such as news gatherers and independent or documentary filmmakers. Following in the footsteps of the popular XC10, the XC15 combines the best elements from its predecessor with new features and functionality, including a microphone adapter ...

  AP Energy-efficient upgrades can not only shrink your utility bill; they can increase the value of your home. Homebuyers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of energy-efficient homes. In fact, they’re often willing to pay more for homes with “green” upgrades, says Sandra Adomatis, a specialist in green valuation with Adomatis Appraisal Service in Punta Gorda, Florida. Just ...

  DPA Mohammed Taha says he has the only “green mosque” in the whole of Egypt, and he looks around the flowerbeds where he grows spinach and Italian basil. Behind the caretaker with a prayer bump on his forehead, a yellow minaret rises up into the evening sky above Cairo. Taha’s rooftop garden in this place of worship is the ...

  Bloomberg What’s in your jeans? A rogue’s gallery of unpronounceable chemicals whose effects on humans are suspect. Perfluorochemicals, phthalates and azo dyes are among the substances that are widespread in making clothes. Under pressure from consumers demanding safer alternatives to harmful chemicals, American companies including Levi Strauss & Co. are taking a more European approach. The European Union has ...

  Bloomberg Get ready for some cashew sticker shock. The global popularity of the kidney-shaped nut has been growing faster than any other tree nut — even almonds. Demand jumped 53 percent since 2010, industry data show. Now the worst drought in a century for Vietnam, the largest exporter, is raising concern that supplies will be even tighter in a ...