Six great reads: Swiss bunkers, what Alexa heard and red-pill manosphere hucksters
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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.
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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?
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'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?
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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
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Daily Record
2 minutes ago
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The 'miracle in a bottle' Nivea anti-wrinkle serum is said to 'reverse skin age in two weeks'
This anti-ageing serum has been crafted with a break-through ingredient after 15 years of scientific research. The world of anti-ageing skincare is packed with lotions and potions. More choice is a bit of a double-edged sword, as that means it can be hard to find one that actually works. However, it looks like Nivea has cracked the secret to "youthful, plumped" skin with its Cellular Epigenetics Age Rewind Face Serum that costs £34.99 for a 30ml on Amazon and Boots. Formulated after 15 years of research, this serum has been crafted with break-through ingredient Epicelline, an ingredient in epigenetics science that is said to "rewind skin age in two weeks." It does so by 'reactivating' older skin cells' youth functions through patented age technology, making them act more like the younger versions of themselves, leading to a "100 percent proven more youthful appearance." 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As for the YSL Black Opium Le Parfum, Boots shoppers wanting to take advantage of the half-price discount will be glad to hear it has amassed a 4.7 rating from thousands of customers who say it "lasts all day" and "literally turns heads" when it is worn. One five-star review read: "I love the fragrance. I used a lot the first time, not realising how intense it was. It lasts all day and continues to smell great. I literally turn heads when I wear it." Don't miss Boots' half-price discount on the YSL Black Opium Le Parfum (50ml) that is now £57.50, down from £115. On Trustpilot, quite a few beauty enthusiasts have more mixed opinions on the skincare brand in general. One shopper who left a three-star review did urge the firm to "revise" its range of products. They added: "They didn't help me to moisturise my face even if it's states that the cream is moisturising, lol. Nevertheless, I should pay homage to this company as it has a vast line of different products." Meanwhile, a few others did leave the company quite a few negative comments, with stating "formula changes" to their favourite products, such as the Nivea Crème, and customer service as reasons for their feedback. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Bleuse review – from a clown to a clarinet and Cathy Berberian
Twin titans of the 20th-century avant garde, Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez were born seven months apart in 1925. This well-crafted concert by Ensemble Intercontemporain, the orchestra Boulez founded in 1976, avoided the obvious hits while demonstrating just how different their music could be. Berio's Sequenza V for solo trombone is one of 14 pieces he wrote to test the boundaries of particular instruments or vocal types. It was inspired by Grock, a Swiss-born clown and one-time neighbour of the composer, whose personality had fascinated him as a boy. Lucas Ounissi, ambling on in full circus slap and a lime-green wig, put his instrument through its paces. Juggling a handheld plunger mute, he rasped and farted away, frequently singing and playing at the same time. A virtuoso performance showed off the breadth of the composer's imagination as well as his singular sense of humour. The more sober-minded Boulez was represented by his Dialogue de l'ombre double (Dialogue of the Double Shadow). Written to celebrate Berio's 60th birthday, it pits an on-stage clarinettist against his pre-recorded doppelganger, the latter electronically manipulated in real time and piped into the auditorium through speakers. The versatile Jérôme Comte hot-desked from one music stand to another, taking melismatic licks and frenetic outbursts in his stride. Rock-solid technique and calm deliberation brought clarity and purpose to Boulez's intricate demands. The pre-record, meanwhile, bounced off the walls and ceiling of the Royal Albert Hall in a mesmerising wash of surround sound. The grand finale was Berio's Recital I (For Cathy), a piece the composer wrote in 1972 for his former wife Cathy Berberian. The conceit is theatrical: an operatic diva shows up for a recital only to find her accompanist isn't there. An ensemble of 17 takes up the cause, with the singer descending into madness as she tosses off scatter-gun quotes from vocal works of the past. Berberian's visceral account, captured on record, was a tour de force. Sarah Aristidou certainly acted a good fight, with conductor Pierre Bleuse gamely adding his dramatic six penn'orth, but the spoken text was barely audible, rendering the work more gnomic than usual. Listen again on BBC Sounds until 12 October. The Proms continue until 13 September.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
People in Gaza are 'walking corpses' - with one in five children malnourished, says UN
A fifth of the children in Gaza City are malnourished and more than 100 people, most of them youngsters, have reportedly died of hunger there, the UN has said. Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), quoting a colleague, said on Thursday that people in Gaza, where the supply and distribution of aid is controlled by Israel, "are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses". Most of the youngsters the agency sees are "emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying if they don't get the treatment they urgently need. "This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave." UNRWA's frontline health workers are surviving on "one small meal a day, often just lentils, if at all. They are increasingly fainting from hunger while at work", Mr Lazzirini said. "When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing." Israel to allow journalists to move freely in and out of Gaza amid fears reporters there are facing the risk of starvation. BBC News, Agence France Press, Associated Press and Reuters said in a statement published on Thursday they are "desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. They said: "For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering. "Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them. "We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there." Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told Sky News that food shortages have "been engineered by Hamas", and that there "is no famine in Gaza". 2:00 Speaking on Wednesday's News Hour with Mark Austin, Mr Mencer said aid is "flowing" into the enclave but Hamas "loots the trucks [and] deliberately endangers its own people". The fighters deny stealing food. More than 4,400 aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza since Israel lifted its blockade in May, roughly 70 trucks a day, which is the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500-600 trucks a day the UN says is needed. "The problem is not Israel," he said. "The problem is Hamas." The UK and several other countries have condemned the current aid delivery model, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the Israeli and American governments. It has reportedly resulted in Israeli troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions. More than 800 people have reportedly been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near distribution centres.
