Family of jailed Egyptian activist fears he’s been force fed

Abd el-Fattah had escalated his hunger strike to include no water, using COP27 to highlight his cause. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Family of jailed Egyptian activist fears he’s been force fed [A group of protesters wear T-shirts with #FREEALAA after a panel with Sanaa Seif, sister of Egypt's jailed leading pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who is on a hunger and water strike, at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 8, 2022.] Credit: Nariman El-Mofty/AP Egypt The family of jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who’s been on hunger strike, says they fear authorities have [force fed]( him. On Sunday, Abd el-Fattah had escalated his months-long hunger strike to include no water, using the start of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to draw attention to his plight. His lawyer said the public prosecutor’s office has [granted him permission]( to meet the prisoner. The 40-year-old was a leading pro-democracy blogger during Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. Abd el-Fattah was sentenced in 2015 to five years in prison for violating protest laws, and has spent most of the past decade behind bars. Ukraine Ukrainian forces have [advanced in Kherson]( after Russia anounced it would be withdrawing its troops from the city. Ukraine’s military claims it’s recaptured 12 settlements in the south. Analysts consider the withdrawal as further humiliation for President Putin, but some Ukrainian officials have also raised caution, suggesting the announcement [could be a trap]( designed to lure in Ukrainian forces. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian troops have attacked Russian forces, maintaining that Moscow didn’t request a “green corridor” for its withdrawal. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Russia and Ukraine have each sustained more than 100,000 casualties since the war began. Guinness World Record Day Thursday marks [Guinness World Records Day](. It’s an annual celebration to find new accomplishments from around the globe. [Super skills]( have been on display, with feats ranging from the most hula hoops spun on stilts to solving the most rotating puzzle cubes while skateboarding — that total was 6,931! Other achievements include most blindfolded standing backwards somersaults in one minute and most consecutive soccer ball touches while hanging with one hand in 30 seconds. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Russia’s war creates economic hardships for Central Asian migrants]( [In this photo taken on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, an elderly man sits inside a bus in the station of Moscow, Russia. More and more migrants from the Central Asia are coming come to Moscow in search of work.]( Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP As the Russian economy starts to slow down because of Western sanctions, [migrant workers]( from Central Asia, who often work low-wage jobs in Russia, have been some of the first to feel the war’s economic impact. [Chile grapples with transnational criminal organizations targeting migrants and locals]( [Migrants from Venezuela cross into Chile from the Bolivian border near Colchane, Chile, Dec. 9, 2021.]( Credit: Matias Delacroix/AP/File More than 7 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2015 amid ongoing economic and political crises in their country. And with ineffective border security, [criminal gangs]( are increasing their efforts to take advantage of the migrants. The World covers elections — thanks to help from readers like you. During elections, reliable, nuanced journalism like ours is crucial — and not just when it comes to voting here in the US. As a reader, you know that we’re invested in the global consequences of local and national elections, wherever they may be. Just this year, we’ve covered key votes in Israel, Brazil, Kenya and the Philippines, tracking their ripple effects on migration, public health, the environment and other significant issues. This important work is possible thanks to donations from readers like you. If you value our in-depth coverage of elections all around the globe, [support The World with a gift today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot France will be requiring all large parking lots — with spaces for at least 80 vehicles — to be [covered by solar panels](. ☀️ The legislation is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s renewable energy drive. The lot owners will have five years to comply with the new measures, while owners with parking lots with more than 400 vehicle spaces will have three years to cover at least half of their areas. [Screenshot of The Guardian tweet]( Credit: Twitter In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.