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The Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in a catastrophic economic collapse, leaving 70 percent of Gaza's residents under 30 without work or opportunities. The unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip has soared to 80 percent, with the local gross domestic product (GDP) plummeting by 87 percent over the past two years.Mahmoud Shamiya, a university graduate, exemplifies the struggles of Gaza's youth. He had dreams of becoming a teacher but now spends his days surviving in a tent, fetching water, and scavenging for firewood. The destruction of Gaza's educational infrastructure has effectively paused the lives of students trapped inside the besieged enclave.The systematic destruction of universities and schools has erased 22 years of development in Gaza, leaving the territory's youth cut off from the outside world and denied the ability to study, work, or secure their basic survival. Economists warn that the situation is a generational catastrophe.Mona Al-Mashharawi, who was scheduled to travel to Algeria for her university studies, is now trapped in Gaza. She laments, 'Two years of my life have been lost, and I am now entering the third. These years are automatically vanishing from our lives.'The private sector, once Gaza's main economic engine, has been shattered, with 90 percent of all sectors, including housing and infrastructure, wiped out. The total economic losses are estimated to be $70 billion.The blockade has drained the territory of essential goods and raw materials, with 80 percent of the population relying entirely on international humanitarian assistance to stay alive. However, aid entering the territory falls drastically short of the daily target of 2,000 tonnes.

Taybeh, a small hilltop town in the heart of the West Bank, is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. After increasing attacks from Israeli settlers it now feels itself under siege and is fighting for its very existence.The town’s ancient Greek name was Ephraim where, according to the gospels, Jesus hid with his disciples from the Jewish religious hierarchy, the Sanhedrin, before making his final fateful trip to Jerusalem.A church was built here in the fifth century, and the entirely Christian community survived the crusaders, conquest by Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub or Saladin, the Ottoman empire, the British empire, and three Arab-Israeli wars, but its inhabitants say its long-term future is in question.There are four substantial Israeli settlements around Taybeh, and countless unofficial outposts have also sprung up on the steep hills overlooking the Jordan valley. They have been set up by messianic Jews who send their young people, the “hilltop youth”, to harass and intimidate local Palestinians in the surrounding countryside.The relentless land grabs and intimidation is a pattern repeated up and down the West Bank in a campaign the UN has called ethnic cleansing, which has been driven by hardline members of the ruling coalition, the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.“First they kicked the Bedouin out in the last three years and put up their caravans and bring their cows and sheep. They are using the land without any permission from the owners and from ourselves,” said Fr. Bashar Fawadleh, the parish priest of Christ the Redeemer church.Over the past year, the pressure has been turned up further. In July last year, settlers set fire to the grounds of the fifth–century Byzantine church, St Peter’s. Since then, bands of hilltop youth have raided the town four times, setting fire to cars, slashing tires and smashing windows.The church, part of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, supports small business ventures to provide jobs and builds affordable housing, but the community is still haemorrhaging. Fifteen families have left in the past two years, leaving the current population at about 1,100.After the attack on St Peter’s church in July, the US ambassador, Mike Huckabee, visited the town to condemn what he called “an act of terror” and to appeal for prosecutions.No prosecutions have been reported, and Huckabee has not spoken out over any of the subsequent attacks on Taybeh. A Southern Baptist minister, the ambassador is a fervent supporter of Israel’s territorial claims to the West Bank and beyond, which he argues are divinely ordained.In the West Bank however, the Christian population has shrunk from 5% of the total population in 1967 to roughly 1% today, about 45,000 people.The fierce religious nationalism that the Israeli government has cultivated in recent years has largely been directed at Palestinian Muslims but there has been a rising tide of anti-Christian incidents.Jad Isaac, the director general of the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem, which tracks the Israeli takeover of land and resources on the West Bank, said: “When Netanyahu says we are the only country which is taking care of the Christians, he’s a liar. He said that in Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank “the strategy is to make life intolerable”.

A projected ocean backdrop bathed the Hollywood High School auditorium in sunset hues as Mitski opened her five‑night residency, delivering a performance of “Dead Women” from her latest album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. The stage, arranged like a cozy living room with a writing desk, chaise lounge and warm lamps, amplified the DIY‑style intimacy the artist sought.Addressing the crowd, Mitski quipped, “It’s dark in here – no one can see you. You can cry,” a line that resonated with the mixed‑age audience, prompting genuine emotional responses.The residency coincided with an innovative attendance challenge: students who maintained perfect attendance for two weeks were entered into a raffle for tickets. School staffer Michael Reagan called it “the most effective attendance drive in the district’s recent history.”Beyond the music, Mitski’s agreement to cover the venue’s rental fee will fund caps and gowns for graduating seniors, while she pledged to donate $2 from each ticket to a local youth‑focused music‑education nonprofit.The event attracted students from across Los Angeles and beyond. One senior, Sophia Barrios, traveled by train from the Central Valley after receiving tickets for her 18th birthday, praising Mitski’s genre‑spanning sound and personal lyrics. Fellow attendees echoed the sentiment, noting how the artist’s words gave voice to feelings they struggled to articulate.Former alumna Jessica Torres Vicente, now a therapist, described the experience as “a healthier dose of memory lane,” recalling the unchanged gold‑lettered welcome sign and vintage school‑production posters that still adorn the auditorium.Mitski’s decision to perform in a high‑school setting harks back to the venue’s history of hosting notable acts, such as Morrissey in 2013, and reflects her desire to recapture the raw connection of early‑career punk and DIY shows.The concert retained the hallmarks of a Mitski show—precise, balletic movement, immersive visuals, and a sound that enveloped the crowd—while the unique setting left an indelible impression. When she sang “Two Slow Dancers,” the audience shouted back, “Yes!” in unison, underscoring the shared intimacy of the night.

The traditional No 9 striker, once a cornerstone of football, is becoming increasingly obsolete. The partnership of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke at Manchester United in the late 1990s exemplifies a bygone era when strikers were the main goal-scoring threats. Today, the Premier League's leading scorers are more likely to be wingers, No 10s, or false 9s.Data from Opta shows that strikers scored 41.6% of the Premier League's goals two decades ago, compared to 25.9% this season. The decline of traditional center-forwards is further evidenced by the decrease in standout individual striker performances. Between 2007 and 2012, there were four seasons with 10 or more hat-tricks by center-forwards; in the past nine seasons, this threshold has been met only once.The England national team faces a significant challenge with Harry Kane, their all-time leading scorer, approaching retirement. Beyond Kane, the options are limited, with Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin failing to impress. The lack of quality strikers raises concerns about England's future prospects.Experts attribute the decline of the No 9 to the redefinition of the role and the increased emphasis on possession-based football. Emile Heskey notes that the traditional striker's job has changed, with more focus on creating space for other players. René Meulensteen argues that specialized striker training is essential to develop No 9s, but such training has been neglected in favor of more generalized sessions.However, there is hope that a successful team utilizing a lethal strike partnership could revive demand for traditional No 9s. Dean Whitehouse believes that if a manager starts winning trophies with paired strikers, other teams will follow suit, and the demand for No 9s will return. The abundance of technically gifted players, fostered by initiatives like Gareth Southgate's push for smaller-sided games at youth level, may yet lead to a resurgence of the traditional No 9.

When screenwriter Daisy Goodwin examined Prince Albert’s habit of selecting Victoria’s bonnets, she wondered whether the gesture signified tender devotion or a more unsettling dominance. The question becomes the backbone of her new stage drama, which recasts the iconic Victorian marriage as a case of coercive control rather than a model partnership. Set in the waning days of Victoria’s reign at Windsor, the production opens with Amanda Boxer portraying an aging monarch—a weary, self‑pitying figure cloaked in black bombazine. Her character, a compulsive diarist, fears that her candid journals might be released after her death, a concern that fuels the play’s tension. Designer Alex Berry creates a slanted, reflective ceiling that acts like a distorted mirror of memory, underscoring Victoria’s claim that her diaries are “the only place where I could be completely honest”. Yet the presence of Albert, played by Rowan Polonski, suggests that even these private pages were never truly safe. Jessica Rhodes brings youthful Victoria to life, initially buoyant as she waltzes with Albert. The romance quickly darkens as Albert’s behavior shifts to manipulating her ambitions and curbing her joy. He pressures her into motherhood—she dismisses the children as “invincibly tedious”—and intrudes on her official duties, from speeches to industrial tours. In a biting line, she accuses him of making “the monarchy so boring that no one was awake enough to start a revolution”. The play’s narrative moves from teasing banter to overt control, with intimate moments on the sofa devolving into fierce arguments over gifts (“You gave me a brooch made of teeth, Albert!”). A poignant scene where Victoria reads from Jane Eyre hints at a gothic destiny that Goodwin imagines Albert may have plotted. While Goodwin’s empathy clearly leans toward Victoria, the production also raises contemporary expectations of royalty, suggesting that public service—not romantic idealisation—should define modern monarchs. Director Sophie Drake’s brisk pacing navigates the play’s contradictions, ultimately unsettling the long‑held myth of a contented, untroubled royal household. The production runs at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury until 9 May, offering audiences a fresh, critical lens on a celebrated historical partnership.

Iran carried out the execution of Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian on Saturday morning, following a Supreme Court ruling that confirmed their death sentences for membership in the outlawed People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and involvement in "armed rebellion" through multiple terrorist acts. The two men were hanged after a Revolutionary Court sentenced them in late 2024, a case that underscores Tehran's intensified crackdown on dissent amid the US‑Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28. This latest execution follows the hanging of four other PMOI members—Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi—on March 30‑31, bringing the total number of executed opposition figures to six since the conflict escalated. The PMOI condemned the hangings in an April 2 statement, labeling Tehran's actions a "futile" attempt to suppress opposition and warning that such brutality will only fuel the resolve of Iran’s youth to challenge the regime. Human‑rights groups have also decried the executions. Amnesty International reported that the men were allegedly tortured while in custody and transferred to an undisclosed location shortly before their deaths. The organization warned that additional protesters—some sentenced to death for participation in the January anti‑government demonstrations—could face execution after being moved from Ghezel Hesar prison. Amnesty’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy, said, "It is unconscionable that even as the population endures mass bereavement from aerial bombardments, the Islamic Republic continues to weaponize the death penalty to eradicate dissenting voices and terrorise its people." The wave of hangings also includes the case of Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian‑Swedish national convicted of spying for Israel, whose execution sparked outrage in Stockholm and the European Union. Another individual convicted of acting on behalf of Israel and the United States during the protests was executed on Thursday. These developments occur against a backdrop of intensified military confrontations, with Iran reporting the downing of U.S. aircraft and ongoing aerial bombardments by Israel and the United States, further complicating the nation’s internal security landscape. International observers warn that the continued use of capital punishment as a tool of political repression not only violates human‑rights norms but also risks deepening regional instability as the war persists.

Fab 5 Freddy, born Fred Brathwaite, has penned a memoir that serves as an 'all-access pass' to the creative explosion of New York in the 1970s and 80s. The book, 'Everybody's Fly: A Life of Art, Music, and Changing the Culture,' chronicles Brathwaite's journey from a young man in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a pivotal figure in connecting Black art forms like graffiti and hip-hop with the predominantly white downtown art world.Brathwaite's story is intertwined with that of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, other street artists whose work has become iconic. The memoir also features appearances by Blondie, Andy Warhol, and the Clash, highlighting the era's cross-cultural pollination.The book offers a firsthand account of legendary venues like CBGB and Paradise Garage, where Brathwaite experienced the raw energy of punk and dance music. He recalls visiting CBGB as a 'Black secret agent on a mission' and describes Paradise Garage as a 'transformational experience.'While reading Brathwaite's story in 2026 is bittersweet, it also offers a hopeful message. New York, despite being in dire economic straits at the time, gave birth to magnificent cultural movements. For Fab 5 Freddy, rap and punk represented 'urban youth going against the grain, inventing their own culture, creating their own fun, responding to the world as it was.'The enduring legacy of this era is that subcultures can emerge and thrive even in challenging times, leaving a lasting impact on art, music, and culture. As Brathwaite puts it, 'everybody's fly' – a testament to the power of creative expression and community.

Zara Larsson, the 28-year-old Swedish pop sensation, is taking the music world by storm with her album 'Midnight Sun'. With three songs in the US Hot 100 and fourth biggest female artist on global Spotify, Larsson's career is moving at lightning speed. Larsson's journey to stardom began at 16 with her debut single 'Uncover'. However, it was her zeitgeist-hijacking album 'Midnight Sun' that reinvented her as a rave nymph, blending brash electro-pop and drum’n’bass. The album's success can be attributed to its genuine youthfulness, ultra-fun, and uber-femme vibe, which has resonated with fans worldwide. Larsson's lyrics have the immediacy of a voice note sent to a crush, and she is startlingly frank about her insecurities. Her music is a reflection of her unapologetic camp and accessible twist, making her a standout in the industry. Larsson has always been vocal about sex positivity, women's rights, and her support of Palestine. She declined to perform at Eurovision's halftime show in protest at Israel's inclusion and lost a $3m brand deal after joking about abortion on social media. Despite the challenges of fame, Larsson thrives on attention and sees her current hot streak as an opportunity to build and create. With her deluxe edition of 'Midnight Sun' coming soon, Larsson is set to take the music world by storm.

The current global landscape is marked by uncertainty, with Donald Trump's policies contributing to a sense of instability. As the world grapples with the implications of the Iran war, including a potential global shortage of jet fuel, the UK is reevaluating its relationships. Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, has argued that a closer partnership with Europe is in Britain's national interest. This stance is echoed by Rachel Reeves, highlighting the need for the UK to strengthen its ties with the EU to mitigate the risks of a global economic crisis. The article notes that 63% of Britons would vote to rejoin the EU if a referendum were held today, according to recent YouGov polling. This sentiment is reflected in the growing popularity of a youth mobility scheme that would allow young people to work and study abroad, a proposal that has gained traction even among Leave voters. Starmer's ally, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has been negotiating a deal that would align with EU rules on food and drink, potentially leading to the relabelling of certain products like marmalade. While challenges remain, including competitive trade interests, the article suggests that Europe is choosing unity in the face of crisis. The author, Gaby Hinsliff, argues that Britain has learned from its past mistakes and is now seeking to build a new relationship with the EU at speed. While rejoining the EU is not imminent, the will and political courage are needed to seize this second chance.