Six great reads: Swiss bunkers, what Alexa heard and red-pill manosphere hucksters
Read more
Bethan McKernan spent four years as the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent, a period marked by the horrors of 7 October 2023 and what has followed in Gaza. As she begins her new role as the Guardian's Wales correspondent, she looked back at her period in the Middle East and how it has shaped her and her understanding of the region.
Read more
Switzerland is home to more than 370,000 nuclear bunkers – enough to shelter every member of the population. But, asked Jessi Jezewska Stevens, if the worst should happen, would they actually work?
Read more
'In September 2016, a new presence appears in our house, squatting on the kitchen counter between the kettle and the coffee machine. It is blandly futuristic, a minimal cylinder with an LED ring that glows blue to alert us to the fact that it is ready, poised to answer our questions or carry out our instructions, as long as those instructions are clearly stated and fall within a narrow band of available 'skills'.'
For nearly a decade, Alexa has been listening to Jeremy Ettinghausen and his family's questions and instructions. What had she heard? And what did it tell him about the role Amazon's smart speaker plays in so many of our lives?
Read more
After 380 games and more than 1,000 goals the 2024-25 Premier League season came to an end last weekend. Jonny Weeks told the story of a dramatic (in parts) season via the work of the best sports photographers in the game – including our own brilliant Tom Jenkins. Read more
'When I first met Nick in 2019, at a dating and self-improvement summit in Miami, it wasn't immediately obvious why he was paying so much money to pseudo-authority figures from the manosphere. He had looks, cash and some of the easy swagger of London done good … '
So writes James Bloodworth in his fascinating (and worrying) profile of a friend who went down the digital rabbit hole. Nick's story is a cautionary tale of what happens when someone who feels inadequate listens to the new generation of masculinity salesmen
Read more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
27 minutes ago
- Sky News
25% of young children and pregnant women malnourished in Gaza, charity says, as PM vows to fly critical medical cases to UK
A charity has warned 25% of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished, with Sir Keir Starmer vowing to evacuate children who need "critical medical assistance" to the UK. MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said Israel's "deliberate use of starvation as a weapon" has reached unprecedented levels - with patients and healthcare workers both fighting to survive. It claimed that, at one of its clinics in Gaza City, rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have trebled over the past two weeks - and described the lack of food and water on the ground as "unconscionable". The charity also criticised the high number of fatalities seen at aid distribution sites, with one British surgeon accusing IDF soldiers of shooting civilians "almost like a game of target practice". MSF's deputy medical coordinator in Gaza, Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, said: "Those who go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's food distributions know that they have the same chance of receiving a sack of flour as they do of leaving with a bullet in their head." The UN also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food - the majority near the militarised distribution sites of the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by the GHF. 1:20 In a statement on Friday, the IDF had said it "categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians", and reports of incidents at aid distribution sites were "under examination". The GHF has also previously disputed that these deaths were connected with its organisation's operations, with director Johnnie Moore telling Sky News: "We just want to feed Gazans. That's the only thing that we want to do." Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and has accused the UN of failing to distribute it, in what the foreign ministry has labelled as "a deliberate ploy" to defame the country. 'Humanitarian catastrophe must end' In a video message posted on X late last night, Sir Keir Starmer condemned the scenes in Gaza as "appalling" and "unrelenting" - and said "the images of starvation and desperation are utterly horrifying". The prime minister added: "The denial of aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable, just as the continued captivity of hostages is completely unjustifiable. "Hundreds of civilians have been killed while seeking aid - children, killed, whilst collecting water. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, and it must end." 2:10 Sir Keir confirmed that the British government is now "accelerating efforts" to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance, so they can be brought to the UK for specialist treatment. Israel has now said that foreign countries will be able to airdrop aid into Gaza. While the PM says the UK will now "do everything we can" to get supplies in via this route, he said this decision has come "far too late". Last year, the RAF dropped aid into Gaza, but humanitarian organisations warned it wasn't enough and was potentially dangerous. In March 2024, five people were killed when an aid parachute failed and supplies fell on them. For now, Sir Keir has rejected calls to follow French President Emmanuel Macron and recognise a Palestinian state - despite more than 220 MPs signing a cross-party letter to demand he takes this step. The prime minister is instead demanding a ceasefire and "lasting peace" - and says he will only consider an independent state as part of a negotiated peace deal.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Five Great Reads: simple superfoods, Paul Foot, and the one universal sex tip
Happy Saturday! And happy one-week birthday to the Coldplay couple, who I promise to give no more airtime … after this. Now, with a cuppa in hand, please read on and enjoy five articles worthy of your time. In the latest of our How we survive series, Kelly Ghaisar shares the moment her 'lovely bubble' of living the American dream burst. She was told her 25-year-old son had been shot in his car, while unarmed, by two police officers. It's seven and a half years since Bijan's death, and Ghaisar is still fighting for her boy. Her hopes: To see the laws protecting the officers who killed her son repealed. How she survives: Ghaisar says her 'number one is Bijan', along with her friends and family. 'I will not stop fighting for Bijan, not while I still live and breathe.' How long will it take to read: Four and a half minutes. Nesrine Malik has visited Qatar many times over the past 15 years, and spoke to dozens of sources about its 'financial power and political determination' to write this incredible long read on how Qatar became the global capital of diplomacy. 'World's largest natural gas field': Despite being in the shadows of its larger neighbour Saudi Arabia, this tiny country – astonishingly wealthy thanks to pure geological luck – has helped tackle some of the most intractable conflicts. The 12-day war: 'On 22 June the US struck three nuclear facilities in Iran,' Malik writes. 'On 23 June, Iran launched missiles towards Qatar.' 'Peace facilitator': 'Yet within 48 hours, the conflict was over – and Qatar played a critical role in bringing it to an end.' But how? How long will it take to read: 13 minutes. Paul Foot spent decades suffering from anxiety and depression, until one Sunday, driving through Manchester, the British comedian's 'consciousness exploded'. In this interview he recounts the experience to Paula Cocozza – and Cocozza writes about Foot's trauma and his current state of profound joy in a very special way. 'It was a moment that was both extraordinary and ordinary' – like stirring from a dream. 'It was just, 'Oh, I've woken up …' And it didn't matter that I'd spent 28 years in a state of depression. It was gone. Everything was different.' – Paul Foot How long will it take to read: Five and a half minutes. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion It would be rude not to include a story that attracted more than a million views this week, especially since Guardian Australia's lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, shared the one universal sex tip she uncovered while researching her book on the same topic. Gratification: While a woman's pleasure is 'specific and individual', Gorman found less variety after asking what women think 'their partner did to enable that one overwhelming moment'. The answer is simple, obvious and teachable. How long will it take to read: Three and a half minutes (unless you read the comments). Further reading: Roxane Gay introduces portraits of people with their sex toys around the world. Superfoods – a term used in the 1960s to describe foods combating malnutrition – now include a select few highly marketable items, most likely found in a health food store. That's what I thought until I stumbled across Rachel Dixon's list of 17 superfoods, which experts point out are probably waiting to be consumed in our pantries and fridges. I have seven at the moment … how about you? Ditch the goji berries: They 'need a lot of water, are often grown as a monoculture, and there are questions over fair wages for farmers', writes Dixon, after speaking to researchers Giulia Santunione and Giuseppe Montevecchi. Unglamorous alternatives: Go carrots, peas, oats or popcorn instead! How long will it take to read: Five minutes. If you would like to receive these Five Great Reads to your email inbox every weekend, sign up here. And check out out the full list of our local and international newsletters.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Heartbreaking images of Gaza kids on brink of death can no longer be ignored
WARNING - DISTRESSING IMAGES: Severely weak Yezen Abu Ful, two, is among 70,000 children medics warn are now facing malnutrition - as a UN chief blasted the 'indifference and inaction' of global leaders over the Gaza slaughter A starving child clings to his mum in an image victims in Gaza pray the world can no longer ignore. Severely weak Yezen Abu Ful, two, is among 70,000 children medics warn are now facing malnutrition. UN chief Antonio Guterres blasted the 'indifference and inaction' of global leaders over the Gaza slaughter, as children dying from hunger hit 122 since the war began. Keir Starmer vowed the UK will 'pull every lever' to get vital aid into the Strip and added: 'This humanitarian catastrophe must end.' Pitiful cries for help ring out from the depths of despair in Gaza, calling to a world that appears to have stood by and watched the hell of slaughter and starvation unfold. And as yet more horrific images of emaciated children on the brink of death emerge, the call for action to end the suffering of Palestinians in the face of relentless Israeli attacks and blockades grows. In one haunting image, Muhammed Zakariya Ayyub al-Matouk – a tragic sight of skin and bones – clings to his desperate mum in a tent in Gaza City where there is no access to milk, food, or basic necessities. The one-and-a-half-year-old is just one of an estimated 70,000 children said by medics to be in a state of starvation – and up to 28 are believed to be dying every day. Gaza's hospitals yesterday reported nine more deaths from hunger in 24 hours, bringing the total to 122 since the war started. In another harrowing picture, Yezen Abu Ful, two, lies helpless at the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, waiting for food many know may never come until it is too late. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world not to ignore the crisis. He said: 'I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community. The lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity.' Gaza-based journalist Noor al-Shana told how desperate Palestinians are 'tired of empty expressions of solidarity' – as the death toll in the strip hit 59,587. She said: 'We don't want just words, we want actions. There are thousands of children dying now and no one is doing anything. The world is saying 'Free Palestine'. We don't want words, we want solutions.' World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Israel 's actions in Gaza were causing 'man-made mass starvation'. Parents are going without food themselves for days in a bid to save their stricken children. Unicef and other agencies warned Gaza will run out of the therapeutic food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children by mid-August unless aid is restored. The disturbing scenes came as 221 cross-party MPs demanded Keir Starmer recognise Palestine as a state. But the PM resisted and, writing in the Mirror today, insisted such a move must be part of a wider 'pathway to peace'. But amid the misery, there was a tiny glimmer of hope, as triplets born in April continue to grow. Mum Alaa, 31, and 36-year-old husband Louay feared she would miscarry the tots due to the stress of Israeli airstrikes. The couple, who also have children Alma, seven, and two-year-old Ahmed, had to move three times due to the attacks or military orders – once while she was heavily pregnant. Alaa said: 'We ran in silence. I prayed my babies wouldn't slip away while I escaped death.' With help from an Islamic Relief project, their little girls Israa, Ayla and Aylol were born underweight but alive. Alaa added: 'They are my miracle. My proof that even in war, life insists on being born.' But the babies and their mother could still face problems if they need any more medical care, equipment and drugs fast running out due to the Israeli blockade. Pregnant women are now too malnourished to stand, and even doctors are facing starvation. The women are having operations without anaesthetics. Nurses have to squeeze three or four babies into a single incubator. Doctors have reported a huge increase in miscarriages. Medics at hospitals such as Al Awda in northern Gaza are risking their lives to keep services going. More than 1,500 health workers have been killed while half of all hospitals have had to shut down. Aid workers, too, are suffering from a lack of food. The UN claims at least 100,000 Palestinians are starving. President Emmanuel Macron said France will recognise Palestine as a state immediately, piling pressure on Mr Starmer. A third of MPs in the Commons signed the letter to the PM demanding he follow suit. Charities have demanded Israel allow the UN to distribute aid, which they said is sitting outside Gaza. They called for the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is responsible for what little aid is getting through, to be shut down amid deaths at food queues. GHF insists those tragedies never happened at its site and the Israeli military said troops have not fired on civilians. Ceasefire talks appear to have stalled amid differing demands from Israel and Hamas, which sparked the war with its October 7 attack that killed 1, 200 people. The group also kidnapped 251, some of whom are still in captivity.
