Anti-government protests in southern Syria have entered their second week, with demonstrators waving the colorful flag of the minority Druze community, burning banners of President Bashar Assad, and at one point raiding several offices of his ruling party

Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz ignited Aston Villa’s Europa League charge after a vital win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Unai Emery’s side moved level on points with sixth-placed Spurs with two games left in the race for Europe following Saturday’s 2-1 victory. They were superior in every way, with Emi Buendia hitting the bar, and remain in the hunt for a surprise European spot after recovering from successive defeats following strikes from Ramsey and Luiz – despite Harry Kane’s late penalty. Wretched Tottenham, aimless and lifeless, looked anything but a side competing for the top six. Just 13 months ago at Villa Park they ran riot as a Son Heung-min hat-trick inspired a 4-0 win but, despite a brief second-half improvement, it was a performance which underlined their continued regression. In his programme notes Emery said it was the game Villa had been fighting for and it was worth the wait as the hosts grabbed the lead after eight minutes. Ramsey spread play wide to Leon Bailey, Villa’s only change from last week’s derby defeat at Wolves, and motored into the box to meet Bailey’s low cross ahead of Pedro Porro and find the corner. There was little or no reaction from Tottenham. The away fans’ focus was on continued chanting for the exit of chairman Daniel Levy while their side remained passive, even with the ball. With the lead, Villa were the more cohesive unit with Spurs’ only chance ending with a much-delayed offside flag when Son hit the post after running clear. Tottenham drifted through the half, almost in a daze, and needed Fraser Forster to stop them falling further behind after 32 minutes. Porro’s error was seized on and Ollie Watkins darted into the area to centre for Bailey, only for the goalkeeper’s fine save to keep him out. It felt like a second would seal the game for the hosts and they almost doubled their lead five minutes before the break when a diving Watkins just missed Alex Moreno’s teasing cross. A non-existent Tottenham midfield was being cut through by Villa and the bullish Buendia hit the bar having collected a return pass from Ramsey after breezing through the centre. Normal service continued in the second half, John McGinn slicing wide from distance and Forster denying Buendia, as Spurs floundered. Yet they were presented with a glorious chance to level out of the blue when Oliver Skipp robbed Luiz and the ball rolled to Kane. The England captain had time and space but shot too close to Emi Martinez from just inside the box. It was a let-off for Villa and sparked an improvement in the visitors as their hosts retreated and began to invite pressure, with Dejan Kulusevski curling wide. But any comeback hopes were snuffed out by Luiz with 18 minutes left. Cristian Romero clattered Watkins 25 yards out and all Forster – with his positioning in question – could do was help Luiz’s free-kick into the top corner. There was still time for Kane to score a 90th-minute penalty after he was fouled by Martinez – following a lengthy VAR check – but it was too late. Read More Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Unai Emery urges Aston Villa to grasp European chance ahead of Tottenham clash Emery warns Tottenham that top four spot harder to achieve than ever Look back at Gothenburg Greats as Aberdeen mark 40th anniversary of European win Who will win the Premier League top-four race? Roberto De Zerbi believes Brighton deserve a European place

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For a lot of people, coffee is one of the few things that gets them out of bed and out the door in the mornings. But while it’s tempting to whack the kettle on first thing, a health expert has stated that delaying our first coffee of the day could be much more beneficial to our health. Nutritionist Gabi from The Fast 800 urged people to wait at least 90 minutes before getting their first coffee hit [via the Mirror]. Gabi claims that we can all boost energy levels by doing so. In fact, eating on an empty stomach could even cause your body to enter stress mode and release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. "Supporting your morning coffee routine with some smart practices can be a game changer for your overall well-being,” Gabi said. She recommends drinking water, as well as eating a meal packed with fibre and protein to balance sugar levels. “Elevated blood sugar can trigger inflammation and set us up to be on a blood sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day, thereby tanking our energy supply,” the health guru said. "Within the first hour of waking, our cortisol levels ideally acutely rise and fall in a response known as our cortisol awakening response. This rise and fall of cortisol represents a healthy nervous system and actually has a big influence on our immune health and even the risk of autoimmune development." She also states that delaying coffee for a minimum of 90 minutes promotes high energy levels. Gabi said: "Morning light exposure is a huge regulator of circadian rhythm and light exposure triggers the healthy release of cortisol in the morning to support the body’s natural rhythm. Getting natural light exposure within the first hour or so of waking is a great way to support optimal hormone balance." It comes after it was revealed that the drink also gives us an extra ‘special boost’ as well as just a caffeine hit. Scientists have claimed that the act of drinking a cup of joe gives the body a lift, making us more alert, which can’t be replicated merely with caffeine. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday it is investigating an engine fire

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