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The Gaza conflict continues to escalate, with devastating consequences for civilians. Since October, 677 Palestinians have been killed and 1,800 injured in Israeli strikes across the territory. The attacks have averaged about 10 per day over the past five months, leaving a trail of destruction and despair.Abed Elrahman Hamdouna, a 31-year-old father of two and volunteer ambulance driver, was killed in a reported drone strike west of Gaza City. His death is a stark reminder of the ongoing risks faced by healthcare workers in the conflict zone. Hamdouna's family had been worried about him the most during the war, given his role in helping injured people.The Israeli military's actions in Gaza have been widely criticized, with UN experts accusing Israel of 'medicide' and deliberately targeting healthcare workers and facilities. The destruction of Gaza's healthcare system has had a catastrophic impact on the population, with over 1,500 healthcare workers killed in the war.The conflict has also had a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of those affected. Hamza Nabhan, a medical student, described the despair and hopelessness that has become a daily reality for many in Gaza. 'I think about how to wake up, charge my phone, fill my water container. I don’t think about tomorrow.'The international community has expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Amnesty International accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians. The organization has called for an end to the violence and for those responsible to be held accountable.

The youth unemployment crisis has sparked a call for more comprehensive support for young people seeking jobs. Many argue that the current system fails to adequately address the challenges faced by this demographic, leading to a cycle of rejection, confusion, and anxiety. The need for a revamped support system is underscored by the reality that young people often face significant barriers when entering the job market. The threat of losing benefits for not meeting job search requirements can undermine trust and engagement, making it even more difficult for them to secure employment. To effectively tackle this issue, experts suggest that the government must rebuild trust by removing punitive measures and creating job centers that offer more personalized support. This includes providing young people with the time, resources, and relationships with work coaches who understand their ambitions and can help build their confidence. Young people's voices must be central to shaping the support designed for them. By incorporating their perspectives, the government can create more effective and targeted initiatives that address the specific needs of this demographic. The crisis is also attributed to government policies that have driven employers' decision-making. For instance, national insurance rises and increases in the minimum wage have made young people more expensive to employ, leading companies to opt for older, more experienced workers. Furthermore, the rise in young people out of work due to ill health reflects a deeper erosion of stability. The article argues that secure, humane work is not an optional extra but a public health intervention, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to addressing youth unemployment.

Satellite images of Tehran have revealed that toxic fires caused by Israeli bombings on oil depots were still burning days after the strikes, posing serious health risks to millions of residents in the Iranian capital.The bombings, which occurred on March 7, caused clouds of smoke to blanket the city with pollutants ranging from soot to oil particles to sulphur dioxide. A passing storm then showered Tehran with poisonous, oil-filled rain.Residents have reported headaches, eye and skin irritation, and difficulty breathing. Experts have warned that these symptoms could be just the beginning, with long-term risks of cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, DNA damage, and cancer.Four fuel facilities in and around the capital were hit, including the Shahran depot in the north-west, the Aqdasieh oil depot in the north-east, the Tehran refinery in the south, and the Shahid Dolati facility in the west.Satellite images taken two days after the strikes showed the Shahran depot and the Tehran refinery were still burning. Another image taken by the European Space Agency satellite on Tuesday – 10 days after the strikes – showed that those two fires had smouldered, but smoke and flames were visible at the Aqdasieh oil depot.Iran has described the attacks as “ecocide”, which is described as wanton acts of environmental destruction.The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned that heavy smoke from burning oil was “directly inhaled by people in Iran – including young children – raising serious concerns about long-term impacts on both human and environmental health”.

The UK government has unveiled plans for seven new towns in England, a move hailed as the most ambitious housebuilding project in the country for over 50 years. These new towns will feature between 15,000 to 40,000 homes each and are designed to be built with coordinated infrastructure, including schools, healthcare facilities, public transport links, and walking and cycling paths. The locations of the new towns include under-developed inner-city land, a historic village, and an existing new town. Notably, up to 40,000 homes are planned around the Bedfordshire village of Tempsford, near the A1, on a former RAF base. This new town will also feature a major station interchange, linking the east coast mainline with a new east-west link between Cambridge and Oxford. Five of the projects are situated within or on the edges of major cities, including two in London. These include: Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield, on the northern edge of London, with up to 21,000 homes. Thamesmead in south-east London, with 15,000 homes, supported by an extension of the Docklands Light Railway. Victoria North in Manchester, with about 15,000 homes. Leeds South Bank, with a planned 20,000 homes. Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc in the north of Bristol, with 40,000 homes. The final project involves 40,000 new homes in Milton Keynes, a city created from Buckinghamshire farmland and villages as one of the second-generation post-war new towns. Housing Secretary Steve Reed emphasized that the plan marks a significant shift in how the UK builds for the future, with communities designed from the ground up to include homes, jobs, transport links, and green spaces.

Hummus has become an integral part of British cuisine, joining the inflation basket as a staple food item. The dip's popularity has grown exponentially since its introduction to British supermarkets in the late 1980s.Waitrose was the first British supermarket to stock hummus in 1987, marking the beginning of its journey from an exotic curiosity to a mainstream favorite. Today, hummus is a ubiquitous presence in British supermarkets, with Tesco offering 18 different versions of the dip.The success of hummus can be attributed to its versatility, with Ramona Hazan's eponymous brand producing 80-100 tonnes of hummus a week. Hazan started her company in her London flat in 2004 with a £25 Kenwood blender and now has a brand valued at £24m.The UK's changing dietary habits have played a significant role in hummus's popularity, with consumers increasingly opting for healthier alternatives. Middle Eastern cuisine has become increasingly mainstream, with chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and Claudia Roden contributing to its popularity.The addition of hummus to the inflation basket reflects the significant impact of healthier lifestyle choices on consumer spending. Alcohol-free beer will also be included in the basket for the first time, highlighting the shift towards healthier alternatives.

Have you ever felt like you're racing against the clock, constantly chasing appointments and deadlines? This relentless pursuit of time is a universal experience, but what is time, really? Is it a physical phenomenon or just a tool we use to coordinate our lives? Time is often seen as an independent, physical entity that ticks by relentlessly, but emerging scientific evidence suggests that this isn't the case. Time is more like a mathematical tool, useful for coordinating our interactions, but it doesn't have an independent existence of its own. Just like money, we've become dependent on it, but it's not a physical reality. The pressure to be 'on time' is instilled in us from a young age, and we're constantly surrounded by clocks and digital alerts that divide our day into smaller pieces. This has led to a phenomenon known as 'time famine,' where the more efficient and productive we try to be, the less time we feel we have. Studies have shown that people experiencing time famine are less likely to engage in activities they enjoy, eat healthily, or seek medical attention when needed. Our brains don't have dedicated areas for tracking time, and our experience of it can vary greatly. Time can seem to drag or fly by, depending on our circumstances. For example, people with certain conditions, like akinetopsia, experience time in sudden jumps or frozen moments. The psychedelic drug mescaline can also distort time perception, making it seem like hours or even centuries have passed. Quantum physicists have found that time is not a fixed, physical flow. The famous double-slit experiment shows that a physicist's choice of measurement can influence the behavior of a particle. In a lesser-known variant of this experiment, the physicist's choice at the point of measurement can even influence the particle's past behavior. This suggests that time is not a fixed, linear concept, but rather a flexible and subjective experience. Some indigenous cultures, like the Aymara people of Chile, experience time differently. They see the future as hidden behind them, unseeable and unknowable. The Amondawa people of the Amazon have no clocks or concept of time. Instead, they live in the present, experiencing 'lived time,' which is a personal, malleable experience of change. Lived time is different from clock time, as it's not defined by numerical counters or seconds. Each moment is like a tapestry, woven from changes on multiple timescales. When we focus on lived time, it expands and becomes richer, rather than narrowing or contracting. It's a flow that carries us and connects us with others, rather than something we chase and never catch. To combat time famine, we need to remind ourselves that the clock is a tool, not a master. We should beware of digital alerts and alarms that divide our day into smaller pieces and instead focus on the rich pattern of changing connections that wire us into each moment. By doing so, we can tap into the creative process of lived time and experience a more fulfilling and connected life.

A new and disturbing trend in scams, known as 'friendship fraud,' is on the rise, specifically targeting older people who are lonely or bereaved. This type of scam involves criminals using social media platforms to build relationships with potential victims, often over a long period, before requesting money for various reasons. The scam typically begins with a connection on social media, where the fraudster will research and tailor their initial messages to appear as though they share common interests with the victim. Once a level of trust is established, the scammer will begin to make requests for money, often for small amounts or seemingly urgent needs. According to TSB, the average amount lost by victims of friendship fraud is £3,100. In some cases, victims have lost as much as £4,000 or more over several years. The fraudsters often request payments through bank transfers or gift cards, making it difficult for victims to recover their losses. Experts warn that older people who are lonely or bereaved are particularly vulnerable to these scams, as they may be more desperate for human connection and more likely to trust someone who appears to share their interests. Caroline Abrahams of Age UK describes the fraud as 'especially horrible and insidious,' noting that it can have devastating consequences for victims, including financial loss, health issues, and a breakdown in trust. To avoid falling victim to friendship fraud, experts advise severing contact immediately if someone you met online requests money. If you suspect you or someone you know has been targeted, report it to Report Fraud and discuss it with your bank. Documenting all interactions with the scammer can also help in efforts to recover losses or prosecute the fraudster.

When Resident Evil emerged in the mid-1990s, it stood in stark contrast to the prevailing gaming landscape. The PlayStation and Saturn consoles were dominated by bright, arcade-style games like Daytona and Tekken, while Japanese publisher Capcom was primarily known for Street Fighter and Mega Man sequels. Scary games were rare at the time and mostly confined to the PC, making Capcom's horror title Biohazard (the Japanese name for the series) a radical departure that caught the attention of games journalists.Three decades later, the series has not only survived but flourished, becoming one of gaming's most successful franchises. Resident Evil has sold more than 180 million copies worldwide, with 11 core titles, numerous spinoffs and remakes, plus extensive film, television, and anime tie-ins. Its characters and monsters have become cultural icons, with its design tropes now embedded in gaming practice.The origins of Resident Evil can be traced back to 1989's Sweet Home, a Capcom role-playing game for the Famicom (Japanese NES). The game featured a group of filmmakers searching a haunted mansion for valuable artifacts, and while it was a modest domestic success, it never received an international release. However, senior producer Tokuro Fujiwara couldn't let go of his vision for horror as a distinct game genre."We have Tokuro Fujiwara to thank for the existence of Resident Evil," says Alex Aniel, author of acclaimed Resident Evil history book Itchy, Tasty. "He directed Sweet Home having believed that horror could become its own game genre, but wasn't satisfied with its rudimentary portrayal. He wanted to give horror another try once the technology was there to allow it – that opportunity finally arrived with the release of the original PlayStation."In 1993, young producer Shinji Mikami was brought in to oversee a horror game project inspired by Sweet Home. He expanded the haunted mansion concept, drawing influence from George A Romero's Dead trilogy and Alone in the Dark, creating a world haunted not by ghouls but by zombies, mutants, and monsters. The heroes were an experienced SWAT team investigating disappearances at a rural mansion owned by the sinister scientific organization: Umbrella Corp.The original vision for full real-time 3D visuals proved too ambitious for PlayStation hardware, leading Mikami and programmer Yasuhiro Anpo to develop a compromise: 3D characters combined with prerendered 2D backgrounds viewed from fixed camera angles. This restricted, expressionistic style emphasized the intense claustrophobia of the environment, with information always kept from the player by blind corners and shadowy doorways.This combination of tension, omission, and restriction is fundamental to Resident Evil's success as a horror franchise. Even as the camera evolved to over-the-shoulder views and first-person perspectives, characters remained vulnerable. Ammo, save points, and health items are jealously rationed, with extremely restricted inventories. This approach makes Resident Evil operate more like classic horror literature than a typical power fantasy video game.The series has also expertly referenced horror conventions while paying homage to its inspirations. "Kamiya's biggest source of inspiration came from Alien and especially its sequel, Aliens," says Aniel of Hideki Kamiya, who directed Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Zero. "For example, in Resident Evil 2, humans infected with the G-virus grow a parasite that eventually ruptures their host and emerges from within, growing into deadly creatures."Resident Evil has also demonstrated remarkable versatility in exploring different horror genres – gothic horror in its mansions and monstrous enemies, sci-fi horror in its biological experiments, and folk horror in its sinister villages and religious cults. This comprehensive approach allows it to mirror societal fears, a point underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic."The Covid pandemic reminded us just how real our fear of viruses should be," says Bernard Perron, professor of cinema and video games at the University of Montreal. "In that sense, the fear of a corrupt corporation like Umbrella, along with mad scientists who do not necessarily have humanity's best interests at heart, continues to resonate. These anxieties remain deeply embedded in our posthumanist societies."Throughout its evolution, Resident Evil has maintained a balance between familiarity and innovation. Characters like Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Leon Kennedy provide continuity – relatable but cool figures who spout wry jokes like Hollywood heroes. Meanwhile, charismatic antagonists such as Albert Wesker, Lord Osmund Saddler, and Lady Dimitrescu ensure consistent engagement.The series also excels in pacing and structure, carefully delineating between exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat sections. Locations are filled with beautiful details – lavish furniture, eerie oil paintings, ornate gardens – making exploration pleasurable. After intense battles, players can retreat to safe spaces like Save Rooms, creating a rhythm that prevents fatigue."The series offers deep and entertaining gameplay experiences, but with a very low barrier to entry, even for newcomers," says Aniel. "The Resident Evil games are more accessible than ever: since they are often on sale, they are affordable even for customers in emerging global markets, available on every major game platform."Ultimately, Resident Evil's longevity stems from its ability to create uncertainty while maintaining familiarity. "You know what you will get, but you also don't know," the article concludes. "Around every corner there could be a shock or there could be nothing – it's the uncertainty that gets you. It allows us to write in our own fears and anxieties, or to discover new ones we hadn't considered or acknowledged. Like all great horror fiction, Resident Evil has survived because it looks us right in the eye and says, I know what scares you. Come and see."

The recent meningitis outbreak in Kent has tragically claimed the lives of two young people, with 18 confirmed cases and 11 others being investigated. The outbreak, which has affected four schools and two universities in the Canterbury area, has disrupted thousands of lives and understandably instilled fear among many.The public health response, including contact-tracing, treatment with preventive antibiotics, and localized vaccinations, appears to have been effective in limiting the spread of the disease. The NHS has administered about 2,500 vaccines and issued almost 10,000 precautionary doses of antibiotics.The meningitis B (MenB) strain of bacteria behind this outbreak has caused septicaemia and infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Despite scientists not fully understanding what causes meningococcal bacteria to become invasive, the public health system has been able to manage the situation.The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining effective public health systems and the need for evidence-driven decision-making in responding to outbreaks. The UK's success in tackling infectious diseases, including a dramatic reduction in meningococcal disease deaths, is a testament to the effectiveness of prevention, vaccination, and improved treatment.As the risk of future pandemics remains, it is crucial that politicians and the public are reminded of the vital role of public health systems in preventing and managing outbreaks. The abolition of NHS England and its impact on the existing structure overseeing infection prevention and control will require careful consideration.