Police forces in London and Manchester have said they will take a “more assertive” approach to protesters who call for global intifada, following antisemitic attacks in Australia and the UK. Officers arrested two people this week for racially aggravated public order offences after they allegedly chanted “slogans involving calls for intifada” at a pro-Palestinian protest in London.

What does intifada mean?
Intifada is an Arabic word derived from the verb “to shake off”. It’s used figuratively to describe an uprising or rebellion and, most commonly now, to describe the “two major uprisings” against the Israeli presence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, said the Institute for Middle East Understanding.

Both those periods saw Palestinians participate in peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience, but there were also violent clashes with Israeli security forces and deadly terrorist attacks within Israel. More than 1,000 Israelis and about 5,000 Palestinians died in such incidents between the start of the first intifada and the 2005 Sharm El Sheikh summit that brought an end to the second.

How did ‘globalise the intifada’ become a rallying cry?
The slogan has long been used to rally international support for Palestinian resistance against Israeli military occupation. First popularised at solidarity demonstrations around the world during the second intifada, it has become a common cry at pro-Palestine demonstrations since Israel launched its military operations in Gaza following the 7 October attacks.

Why can it be considered antisemitic?
As the “most prominent expressions” of intifada have involved “violence”, said the American Jewish Committee, “globalising the intifada” is often understood to mean “encouraging violence” against Israelis and Jews, even if the “intent of the person saying this phrase may be different”.

The BBC recently had to correct a website article that described intifada as “largely unarmed and popular”. It was amended to say that the word was regarded by some as a “call for violence against Jewish people”.

But Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said that intifada was about “uprising against injustice”. And the “implication” that language used to “support the liberation of the Palestinian people” is “only open to interpretation” by pro-Israel groups is “deeply problematic”.

Before the pandemic, non-fiction seemed “unstoppable”, said The Guardian. Readers devoured books to help make sense of political and social issues, from Brexit to the #MeToo movement.

But now, it’s a different story. Sales of non-fiction books tumbled by 8.4% between last summer and this – nearly double the dip in fiction paperback sales. Fourteen out of 18 non-fiction subcategories contracted, according to a report by NielsenIQ. While there have been some “notable exceptions”, said The Guardian, non-fiction authors are “feeling the pinch”.

Plunging sales
It was a “not-so-pretty summer for non-fiction”, said The Bookseller. The “biggest drop” came in the food and drink category, where sales plummeted 25%. While biographies and autobiographies enjoyed an overall 2% sales boost, there was a “large disparity” year-on-year between the highest-selling titles. In 2024, Rory Stewart’s “Politics on the Edge” sold 108,227 copies, while this year’s bestseller, Chloe Dalton’s “Raising Hare”, sold just 56,349.

Volume sales climbed in the religion and humour category by 15.6%, and in trivia and puzzles by 12.6% – “though both come from a small base”.
G.T. Karber’s “Murdle” was the only non-fiction book to sell more than half a million copies over the past two years but this year’s sales plunged by 38.5%.

‘Refuge, rather than clarity’
Readers are turning instead to crime novels, science fiction and romantasy, spurred by the thriving BookTok community, the NielsenIQ report showed. “Escapism” is the word that crops up repeatedly, said The Guardian. “The world is exhausting, so readers are seeking refuge, rather than clarity. Some are disillusioned; the voracious reading of the past decade didn’t transform the world as many hoped.”

At the same time, non-fiction is competing with a “glut of free – and often excellent – information” elsewhere, from online videos to podcasts. Audiobook sales are booming, with non-fiction purchases almost doubling in the last five years.

And while overall non-fiction print sales are down, there has been a “surge” in pop psychology self-help books, like this year’s runaway bestseller, “The Let Them Theory”, by Mel Robbins. As the world becomes more turbulent, it seems readers are turning to “personal betterment”.

Members of the Karen community, Myanmar’s third largest ethnic group, perform a traditional dance to celebrate their New Year today. The date of each Karen New Year is decided according to the lunar calendar and the end of the rice harvest.

Sai Aung Main / AFP / Getty Images

Mexico: Villa Escondida, Huatulco
A spectacular, fully furnished property on La Bocana beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 4 suites, kitchen, 3 receps, terraces, rooftop bar, beach bar, staff quarters, swimming pool, garden, parking. $2.195 million; Christie’s

Costa Rica: Casa de Estrellas, Pacific Heights
A fabulous finca with ocean views, in a lush setting. 4 beds, 4 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, swimming pool, garden. $1.349 million; Christie’s

Morocco: Road to Fez, Marrakech
A delightful villa set in about 1.2 acres in a prestigious complex close to Hivernage. 6 beds, 6 baths, kitchen, 4 receps, terraces, hammam, massage room, gym, swimming pool, pool house, garden, parking. €1.45 million; Knight Frank

South Africa: Villa Bizweni, Somerset West
This impressive 25-hectare estate in the Cape Winelands enjoys breathtaking views and offers sustainable off-grid living. 4 beds, 4 baths, kitchen, 2 receps, swimming pool, self-contained guest cottage, garden, parking. Approx. £1.702 million; Savills

Malta: Siggiewi
Characterful property in a sought-after village that combines Maltese craftsmanship with the comforts of contemporary living. 5 beds, 4 baths, courtyard garden, swimming pool, games room, parking. $2.039 million; Christie’s

Mr President, are you calling me deranged?
Hugo Rifkind in The Times
“Trump derangement syndrome”, the allegedly “irrational” urge to criticise Donald Trump, seems to affect “lots of people”, writes Hugo Rifkind. There are those “still dying” in Thailand, Gaza, Cambodia and the Congo, even though the president “has told them quite clearly” he’s ended the wars there. “There’s Canada and Greenland, both still too deranged to hand themselves over” to America. And don’t forget Ukraine, “still persisting in its barking mad failure” to admit defeat to Vladimir Putin.

Calling teen boys toxic will backfire – there are bigger targets to hit
Victoria Young in The Independent
“As the mother of a teenage boy”, I think government plans to send boys on anti-misogyny courses sound “reductive and problematic”, writes Victoria Young. Yes, there are “issues around toxic masculinity in schools”, but we’re “scratching the wrong itch”. Instead of “blaming boys, we should be lifting ‘The Wizard of Oz’ curtain” on the “social media giants” whose “algorithm-driven toxicity” targets “impressionable minds”. Only by “properly” regulating the “business of hate creation” will the “dial begin to shift”.

Against the Guinness cult
Jimmy Nicholls in The Critic
“Ireland’s most famous export is having a viral moment,” writes Jimmy Nicholls. Gen Z are “gulping the stuff down”. But, for my money, “Guinness is mid – a bland stout”. Sure, its “texture is creamy, the taste pleasant”, but “if the best thing on draught is the black stuff, you are in a bad pub”. This fetishisation of Guinness is a “bizarre flex” but at least “some of us still drink beer for the taste more than the memes”.