BlinkDash

FictionReviewA beautiful and enraging novel about a trans doctor’s attempts to help Syrian refugees “Empathy is overrated,” says an unnamed writer in The Wrong End of the Telescope. This writer, an unambiguous stand-in for author Rabih Alameddine, is despairing about his novel-in-progress, a book based on his experiences in Lesbos, Greece, where he attempted to aid Syrian refugees but instead “turned into a mess”, holing up in his hotel room for days on end.

Chelsea This article is more than 6 months oldTransfer roundup: Chelsea complete £32m signing of Nicolas JacksonThis article is more than 6 months oldZiyech’s £8m move to Al-Nassr collapses after knee issueCaptain Azpilicueta set to join Atlético Madrid on a freeChelsea have bolstered their attacking options by buying Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal. The striker has joined for around £32m and signed an eight-year deal. Jackson’s contract contained a £30m release clause but Chelsea secured favourable payment terms by agreeing to a slightly higher price.

Children's booksChildren's booksWe All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach - review'This is a thinking book. By that I mean I started to think. About my life'Tommy Wallach, We All Looked UpPicture this. The world is about to end. You're a teenager. What do you do? Sing? Run away? Start a party? All great options. You can do anything. Everyone is letting go anyways. What's stopping you from doing what you want to do?

The ObserverFiction in translationReviewAn architect has bittersweet thoughts about the society he has helped build in this powerful novel by South Korea’s most renowned writerSuccessful architect Park Minwoo is looking back on his life in South Korea. “Everyone thinks it’s good to be an architect, because your buildings will stand long after you’re gone,” he says. “But for all you know, they could be left looking greedy and ugly.” It says everything about the kind of nation South Korea’s most renowned writer, Hwang Sok-yong (inset), depicts in this short novel.

Beauty hacksBeautyI often forget to use deodorant, and for anyone who struggles with odours this is definitely a hack worth trying Hack Washing your armpits with face cleanser to blitz underarm odour without using deodorant. Test Our sweat is odourless – it’s bacteria on our underarms that causes any smells we might encounter. So the theory is: eliminate the bacteria to eliminate the odours. It’s a hack I’m interested in because I often forget to use deodorant and by about 2pm, post train journey, I’m often reminded about my omission because vintage polyester clothing is nothing if not unforgiving when it comes to armpit whiffs.

Ryuichi SakamotoInterviewElectronic pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto: 'My great regret is not reconnecting with Bowie'Joe MuggsWith the Yellow Magic Orchestra, he inspired the sound of hip-hop, electro and techno. Then, the Japanese composer won an Oscar and worked many of the greats, including Davids Bowie and Byrne. Now, in recovery from cancer, his impulse to innovate is as strong as ever On the roof of a half-built tower block overlooking Oslo’s harbour, Ryuichi Sakamoto – former global pop star, a godfather of techno and hip-hop and an Oscar-winning composer – is in a makeshift plastic shack, coaxing microscopic scratches and scrapes out of a cello, then turning them into huge tonal washes with his laptop.

Seascape: the state of our oceansEuropean Union This article is more than 1 year oldEuropean countries dominate half of Asian shark fin trade, report reveals This article is more than 1 year oldDespite nearly a third of shark species nearing extinction, Spain supplied 51,000 tonnes of shark fins from 2003-20, says IFAW European countries are selling so many shark fins to Asia that they dominate nearly half the trade, a study has found.

Indigenous investigationsIndigenous Australians This article is more than 1 year oldInquest into death of Aboriginal man Stanley Russell shown disturbing footage of moment he was shot by policeThis article is more than 1 year oldGraphic footage showed police shooting Russell at least five times in a house in Sydney’s west in November 2021 Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast A New South Wales court has seen graphic footage of police shooting an Aboriginal man at least five times in the “obstructed tunnel” of a narrow hallway of a house in Sydney’s west, during an attempted arrest in November 2021.

Race This article is more than 9 months oldOnline sellers take down ‘offensive’ listings for golliwog dolls This article is more than 9 months oldRemoval of ads on eBay and Etsy comes as new survey reveals more people now regard the toys as racist Online retailers have removed listings for the sale of golliwog dolls amid new evidence that more people now regard the toys as racist. Collectors have continued to trade golliwog dolls on eBay and Etsy under the less offensive label “golly dolls”.