Five Great Reads: reporting from Israel and Palestine, Alan Alda, and the boy who came back
There are many interesting things the US actor, director and writer Alan Alda shares in his G2 interview with Simon Hattenstone – and being married for 68 years (in a divorce-ridden industry) is just one of them.
The Four Seasons: the 80-year-old is back in the spotlight thanks to a Tina Fey revamp of his 1981 movie, which he marvels at.
Record for a scripted TV series: Alda is best known for his role as Hawkeye in M*A*S*H. Its final episode was watched by 106 million people in the US, 'still a record for a scripted TV series', Hattenstone writes.
How long will it take to read: six minutes.
After four years reporting from Israel and Palestine, Bethan McKernan is returning to the UK. The Guardian correspondent reveals the grief, horror and hope that defined her time there, including in the immediate aftermath of the 7 October 2023 attacks – when 'nothing was clear at that point except that many, many more people were going to die'.
The article that never was written: Three days before 7 October, McKernan was in Gaza to interview people about 'the revival of beekeeping', when she spotted what looked like a Hamas military drill in the distance.
The story that ended up being covered: 'No one with an internet connection can say they don't know the truth of what has happened in Israel and Palestine over the past 18 months,' McKernan writes.
How long will it take to read: six minutes.
I remember the first time I encountered Alexa. I was in high school, and my friend was cooking us breakfast. We asked the Amazon device for a banana pancakes recipe. Instead, rather cheekily, Alexa played Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson.
But what would happen if you asked the same device (which has significantly improved since my high school days): 'what do you know about us?' It's a question Jeremy Ettinghausen put to his Alexa, which has been his family's on-call vet, DJ, teacher, parent and therapist for years.
'Our requests ranged from prosaic to troubling and downright bizarre – there was very little we didn't ask Alexa' – Jeremy Ettinghausen
How long will it take to read: six minutes.
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Last month the Guardian reported on an online suicide forum being investigated under new UK digital safety laws. Then followed a story on Adele Zeynep Walton's family experience: how after the death of their daughter and sister Aimee, they came to learn she had been lured into a dangerous online community, and fell victim to it.
The Human Cost of Our Digital World: 'Until we lost Aimee, I didn't know what 'online harm' meant,' Walton says, who has since written a book partially on what led to her sister's death.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
How long will it take to read: four and a half minutes.
Archie Bland's longer read on the time leading up to, during and after the near death, and changed life, of his son Max, is what I leave you with today. There are some stories that stay with you for ever. This is one of them.
How long will it take to read: 15 minutes. Yes, it's worth it.
Further listening: or you can listen to it, if you're on the move.
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Metro
18 minutes ago
- Metro
Man arrested at protest after police misread 'Plasticine Action' T-shirt
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police mistakenly arrested a protester over terrorism offences because they thought his 'Plasticine Action' T-shirt read 'Palestine Action.' Miles Pickering, 59, says senior officers burst out laughing when they realised the blunder before releasing him without charge. He told Metro that he turned up to a protest in Parliament Square on August 9 over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza wearing the T-shirt. However, when a police officer saw the tee, he arrested the 59-year-old and hauled him to Scotland Yard. This shirt was only a few jumbled letters away from Palestine Action, a group banned under terrorism legislation last month. Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 makes it illegal to wear anything supporting a banned organisation. Instead, the T-shirt was for Plasticine Action, a group of artists who campaign against animation generated by artificial intelligence (AI) Plasticine is a modelling material used to create stop-motion figures, such as the character Morph, who features on Miles' shirt. Miles, from Brighton, told Metro: 'He must have misinterpreted the fact that I was wearing a Plasticine Action T-shirt as me wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt. 'I do not support Palestine Action and was not at the protest to support them. 'But I was definitely there to protest genocide and the government's role, as well as to highlight the plight of animators losing their work in this country.' The protest itself led to 532 arrests on terrorism charges, almost all under section 13 of the Terrorism Act. Miles was also nicked under Section 13 and was taken to two gazebos handling the large queues of arrested people. Protesters cheered Miles and others on, the engineer recalled, saying: ''Well done,' 'You're a hero', 'You're fantastic'.' 'I'm pointing to my T-shirt and going, 'Have a look, Plasticine Action',' Miles said. 'I put my fingers to my lips like, 'shh, don't tell the police'. And everyone's laughing and taking photos. And the crowd can see what's happening.' As he was waiting in line to be booked in, a senior officer asked the arresting officer if Miles could be detained under Section 12, which would bring more serious charges of supporting a proscribed group. Miles said: 'My arresting officer said, 'I can't,' and the senior officer said, 'Why not?' 'And he said, 'Because he hasn't got Palestine Action written on him. He's got Plasticine Action written on him'.' Miles claims that 10 minutes later, two plainclothes police officers approached him and burst out laughing after seeing his shirt. 'They both look at me, and they said, 'Can you just hold your scarf out of the way, please, sir?' So I did that, and they both laughed quite a lot.' Shortly after, Miles was let go. 'The arresting officer says, 'I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is I'm de-arresting you',' Miles added. 'And I said: 'What's the bad news?' He said, 'It's going to be really embarrassing for me'.' Miles' friend, Cara Brenna, 50, who was not present at the rally, said Miles is a 'lovely guy who stands up for what is right'. 'He's just using humour to show how crazy things are,' the creative artist and charity fundraiser told Metro. 'The fact that he was arrested for wearing a T-shirt saying, 'Plasticine Action'? We need to have a look at what is happening and what common sense is.' The Brighton local added: 'The police's job is to protect the people, but is that being done?' After footage of Miles' arrest went viral online, demand for more copies of the shirt has skyrocketed. Profits go to the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. According to the product pages at the time of writing, 1,745 white and black Plasticine Action T-shirts have been sold. Miles said: 'What do the police do with people who are walking around with Plasticine Action T-shirts? 'And if another 1,000 people are wearing our T-shirt, or even 500, are they really gonna arrest them as well?' Footage over the weekend from another pro-Palestine protest in Glasgow showed a man, also wearing a Plasticine Action tee, being spoken to by officers. The force confirmed that no arrests were made. Palestine Action was banned after members broke into the RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed red paint into aircraft engines. The group, which does not call for violence against people and often targets sites operated by Israeli weapons manufacturers, argued that their actions were a response to the 'genocide' happening in Gaza. Peter Leary, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, accused the government of 'wasting public resources' and 'silencing' protesters. 'The disgraceful proscription of Palestine Action comes alongside the use of draconian police powers to impose unprecedented restrictions on marches in solidarity with the Palestinian people,' he told Metro. More Trending The Met Police said in a statement to Metro: 'Shortly after 2pm on Saturday (August 9), officers on duty in Parliament Square arrested a man on suspicion of an offence under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. 'At the time of his arrest, the man was wearing a scarf that partially obscured the slogan on his T-shirt, which officers believed read Palestine Action. 'He was taken to one of the nearby prisoner processing points where, once officers realised the t-shirt actually read Plasticine Action, he was de-arrested and was free to leave. 'His arrest is not included in the figure of 532 arrests as part of the policing operation that day.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Qatar urges progress on Gaza ceasefire after ‘positive response' from Hamas
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The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Urgent ‘hairline SOS' warning from expert who's seen more bald spots than ever caused by a style she begs women to stop
A HAIRDRESSER has shared an urgent 'hairline SOS' warning. So if you want to ensure your locks look healthy and don't get damaged easily, then you've come to the right place and will need to take notes. 4 4 4 Marlie, a hair colourist and mother from Tahmoor, Australia, took to social media to reveal the very popular but incredibly damaging hairstyle she is 'begging' women to avoid. According to this stylist, the much-loved slick back look, whether that's a slick back bun or a slick back ponytail, is causing more bald spots than ever before. It's is a viral hairstyle that's taken not only the fashion world, but the red carpet, by storm. With huge celebs such as Hailey Bieber, Maya Jama and Molly-Mae Hague all showing off their sleek buns, which are often secured down with lots of hairspray, gel or mousse, the on-trend look has shown no signs of disappearing off the radar any time soon. But if you love the slick back look, you may want to think twice about the damage it can cause. Alongside her short 'hairline SOS' clip, the blonde beauty said: 'Stop with the slick backs - I am seeing more tension alopecia now than I ever have in my entire career. 'If you are tying your hair up [in a slick back style] every single day, you are going to pull the hair out from around your hairline. 'It's so bad for your hair and your scalp health.' Sharing her advice on what to do instead, the pro continued: 'Alternatively, use a scrunchie or a claw clip - they don't have as much tension and it's so much better for your hair and your scalp.' Clearly concerned about the damage such slick back hairstyles can cause, Marlie sternly advised: 'Give it up.' Marlie's TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ hairbymarlieau, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 164,400 views. Not only this, but it's also amassed 1,861 likes, 131 comments and 2,144 shares. Many beauty fans confessed to feeling 'attacked' by the expert's concerns, but others were incredibly thankful for her advice. Stop with the slick backs - I am seeing more tension alopecia now than I ever have in my entire career Marlie One person said: 'I feel attacked, but agree.' Another added: 'This was me! I used to wear a high ponytail everyday and started getting a bald thinning patch in the elastic area. Now I use loose scrunchies or low less tight ponytails and also wear my hair out to give it a break.' A third commented: ' 51 and this is so true. Years of wearing my hair in a high bun has done so much damage.' Everything you need to know about hair loss Marie Nieuwoudt, a Group Education Manager at CLOUD NINE told Fabulous everything you need to know regarding hair loss. What are the common causes of hair loss? Marie explained: "There are so many reasons why someone may face hair loss. "The number one reason is usually hormonal changes or underlying health conditions (like thyroid conditions), and stress of course also plays a big part in changes to your hair health. "But another very common day-to-day cause is excessive damage to your hair created by mistakes in your styling routines – and this a big one to be aware of for people who are regularly applying heat to their hair! "It's important to know the right temperature for your hair type when using styling tools, as this is essential in reducing unintentional heat damage. "I also see a lot of people facing hair loss resulting from hereditary conditions, which are passed down from generation to generation." What are the best hairstyles people should try to reduce their hair loss? According to Marie: "Less is more when it comes to hair loss! It's important to be gentle with your hair, so a low-maintenance style that limits pulling on your scalp will be your best option. "Putting your hair up in a tight ponytail or adding hair clips can cause stress points at the roots. "Instead, try leaving your hair down, or out. "You're not limited in your options, but it pays to be intentional with your hair styling. Using tools which limit damage to your hair is vital. "Discussing your concerns with a hairdresser or hair loss specialist is also a great way to find styles that suit your specific needs, whilst still making sure you look and feel your best." How long does it take for hair loss to stop? If you're itching to know when your hair will grow back, Marie confirmed: "Hair loss is a personal journey – and it's different for everyone, so it's very difficult to put exact timings on this process. "Every head of hair is unique, and so too is your hair loss experience. "As always, you can speak to a professional hairdresser or trichologist about your specific concerns and hair changes, and they'll be able to help you manage those expectations. "I can't emphasise enough how important it is to be kind to your hair. Most people treat their hair quite roughly, and this is something you definitely want to avoid when dealing with hair loss in particular. "Make sure you're choosing products and styling routines that you know are good for your hair, rather than causing additional damage." Someone else admitted: 'Yep, I'm living proof.' At the same time, one beauty fan beamed: 'Ok I love this! I love that you said stop it, gave a reason why and then gave an alternative! At the start I was like 'well I can't I have to have my hair tied up" and then came the end! Thank you! 'So many people give unsolicited advice with no alternative ideas and it's frustrating so I appreciate you!' Meanwhile, one user penned: "It's hard when you work in the hospitality industry and you need to tie your hair back a lot.' But to this, Marlie wrote back and explained: 'You can still tie it up without doing it with heaps of tension.'
