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Posts from the Pandemic

Eat, Sleep, Netflix, Repeat: My Quarantine Diary

This is Maxi Pfeifer's ten-day quarantine diary. She took it one episode at a time. Could you do any better? Day 0: My rescheduled flight...

The Covid-19 Story: Coming To An Entertainment Centre Near You

The Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Black Death, WWI and WWII have all been immortalised in movies, books, television shows and video games. And...

Back To Normal? No Thanks

Now that the tests on three vaccines have come back positive, there is widespread relief that within a few months we'll be 'back to...

COVID Cooking N0. 6: Beef Spring rolls

Quarantine cravings, we're all getting them. If you are a lover of Chinese food then try making this quick and easy variation on the...

Hats Off To Frontline Health Workers!

My friend Antonia Fernandes was kind enough to send me a short video about her experience of working as a nurse in the midst...

Full Lock Down In Freetown

Sierra Leone's government enforced a three-day lockdown which commenced on 3 May. In Freetown, the capital, streets that were congested with hundreds of people...

Gardening Keeps Me Sane, Says Mousstafa

Since lockdown measures were put into place, many people have been spending more time in the garden. Mousstafa is a husband and father who...

It Only Works If We Work Together

Nearly eight weeks in and many of us have had more than enough of lockdown. But now is NOT the time to ignore social...

Shielding The Vulnerable

The UK is set to ease restrictions. While this is the great news that most of us have been been waiting for, it does...

Ramadan In The Time Of Lockdown

Ramadan is normally a time to come together, meet extended family, and pray together in the mosque. This Ramadan will be a lot different:...

Is English Football Heading Into The Void?

Top flight football has been halted in France and Holland for the rest of the season. Should coronavirus be allowed to kill the English...

Before, During And After The Pandemic: Volunteering Is Always Important

The coronavirus outbreak has not stopped charitable organisations providing a wide range of services to local communities. Indeed we need volunteers more than ever...

That Was The Week That Was No 2: Maybe It’s Because You’re A Londoner….

Do you have The Knowledge? Would you consider yourself a real Londoner, or just a visitor? Try this week's quiz to test how much...

COVID Cooking No 5: Gostê Nan Is Easy And Healthy

Gostê Nan is Kurdish pizza. The recipe is easy to follow, it's super tasty and a much healthier option than the cheesy Italian version....

Drive-In Cinema Fails To Reach Higher Gear

We're still in lockdown (sort of), but in Europe there's a new choice: you can stay in with Netflix or go see a film...

Lockdown Life: Taking Back Time From the Peril Of Procrastination

The irony of this post is that I've been putting it off. It's all about procrastination and I am writing it under lockdown at...

My Top 5 Cleaning Tips To Avoid Disaster

Lockdown leads to extra cleaning up, especially for celebrities like Victoria Beckham who are tackling their own chores while their domestic staff are furloughed....

Paying For Streaming? Music Fans Can Learn From Online Gamers

Now that clubs are closed and concerts cancelled, Instagram Live is the place to be, packed with Q&As, live talent shows, prize give-aways at...

COVID Cuisine No 4: Cookies Can Be Healthy!

https://vimeo.com/413949123 Hunger pangs may kick in unexpectedly, even when there is nothing in the fridge. Luckily for you, these deliciously sweet cookies require only three...

Audio Diaries: Dear Coronavirus, Please Stop!

Responding on a personal level to the corona-world we're living in, I've decided to be sarcastic. Because sometimes the only thing we can do...

Edible Viruses

The pandemic has inspired a few of the zanier chefs and bakeries around the world to create corona-themed dishes in the hope of putting...

Audio Diaries: I’ve Changed My Life Goals Because Of COVID-19

Has Coronavirus changed your life? It's certainly caused me to re-think my priorities. https://risingeast.co.uk/my-short-coronavirus-podcast/

‘It Doesn’t Feel Like I Have Properly Earned My Grades’ – GCSE Student

COVID-19 has closed schools and cancelled exams. Students due to take public examinations are perhaps the most seriously affected. I interviewed two of my...

Poets Reporting On The Pandemic

Since the national lockdown was announced in March, we have seen an outpouring of poetry on our timelines and news broadcasts. As we desperately...

Odds-On The Kim Is Dead

Moon Chung-in, adviser to South Korean president Moon Jae-in, told CNN that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is ''alive and well''. This statement comes...

Lockdown Likeables I’m Already Missing

It looks like we'll soon be let out of quarantine. On the one hand, I just can't wait. On the other hand, there are...

Let These Games Take Over Your Life

Rumours are circulating that the end of lockdown is in sight. We may not have reached the end, but this may be the beginning...

Cough And I’ll Drop You!

Coughing is becoming dangerous - and not for medical reasons. Cough once and you get dirty looks, cough twice and they’ll run away like...

Tensions In The Townships

Tensions are rising in France. Especially in the banlieues (working class estates away from city centres), young people are more likely to flout social...

Gaming Is The New Normal

The video game industry has been growing fast. One of the biggest growth contributors is online competitive mode (multiplayer), which means millions of players...

Lonely Londoners Adrift In Lockdown

On her way to a medical appointment across town, Rising East reporter Olga Savic takes time out to capture the city she loves as...

Looking Forward To The End Of Lockdown: 10 Lessons from “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”

With the effects of lockdown all around, I thought I’d look forward to when it ends. As previous readers of my work may know,...

Fighting COVID-19: Youth Vanguard

According to Dr Bruce Aylward, senior executive at the World Health Organisation (WHO), young people are not taking the pandemic seriously. He fears that...

Lockdown Lists No 3: Top 12 Korean Dramas

Now that the UK has been in quarantine for more than a month, you've probably watched all the Netflix shows you'd previously heard of....

COVID Cooking No 3: My Heart Belongs To Dolma

For the past few weeks dolma is all I’ve been craving for. It's part of the Kurdish tradition, and everyone has their own way...

While Trump Blames China, The Chinese Blame Africans

In China, Africans are being blamed for coronavirus in a wave of racism that is even more absurd than Donald Trump complaining about 'the...

Dressing Down My Business

Fryad Najdat is a self-employed hairdresser and when I interviewed him around this time last year, he was very upbeat about his business prospects....

Uptown Kinshasa Ranked Top For Coronavirus

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gombe is currently the coronavirus hotspot. Although if it takes off here (I hate to say 'when'), the...

Every Crisis Needs A Conspiracy Theory (if only for light relief)

In strange times we do strange things. As coronavirus spreads so are the theories surrounding it. More of us are more willing to entertain...

Gains and Losses In The Way We Live Now

The people stayed home, and the healing began. People read, and rested, and reconnected. They made art, laughed and played cards. Some learnt piano, others learnt guitar. They prayed...

Nightingale and Seacole: What’s In A Hospital Name?

When the Excel conference centre in Docklands was converted into a hospital, it was fittingly named after Florence Nightingale.  The next corona crisis hospital,...

Memo To Ministers, Supermarket Bosses and Everyone Else: Show More Consideration For The Disabled

Life under lockdown means that everyone faces challenges every day. But some of us have experienced this all our lives. As a wheelchair user...

COVID Cooking No1: Something Tasty To Do While We’re In Lockdown

While we are all quarantined it is easy to go stir crazy. Why not try a new stir fry instead...or something else from a...

The Change of Pace

There was never enough time And everyone would complain: 'if only there were enough hours in the day' To paint, to bake and wake not to...