The Ukraine war has entered a “dangerous new phase”, said Sky News’ Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett. Russian strikes on Kyiv claimed the lives of 17 Ukrainians overnight, days after seven people were killed by a Ukrainian drone attack on a crowded Russian Black Sea beach. “More and more civilians” are dying on both sides as the conflict intensifies on multiple fronts, with neither side showing signs of withdrawing.

What did the commentators say?
The Black Sea beach attack marked a “shift in the war”, said The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley. Ukraine may not have a policy of attacking civilian targets, but as it “steps up its war inside the Russian Federation, there have been, and will be, more civilian deaths”. Despite a reshuffle of top commanders, and being “outgunned, outmanned and outsized by the invaders”, Ukraine remains on the front foot. As it presses home the advantage, and “strikes deeper at Moscow, these tragedies will multiply”.

Europe must “seize the moment” and provide Ukraine with critical technologies and assistance on “military recruitment, retention and mobilisation”, said Lesia Ogryzko on the Atlantic Council website. Ukraine’s recent progress provides a “rare window of opportunity to increase the pressure” on Vladimir Putin.

But even as these strikes intensify, Putin has shown “no sign of backing down”, said Russian expert Professor Stephen Crowley in The Nation. Ukraine’s European allies should focus on bringing about “difficult but necessary” negotiations to end the war, through temporary lifting of sanctions or thawing diplomatic relations, even if some might argue that would give the Russian leader a “way out of his war of choice”.

What next?
“Only Washington has the combination of access, leverage and political weight to lead a comprehensive diplomatic effort,” said former White House adviser Thomas E. Graham in The New York Times. But the conflict has now entered a “dangerous escalatory spiral”, and the US must act imminently, “before escalation closes the diplomatic opening that exhaustion has begun to create”.

UK health authorities have warned holidaymakers to take precautions against cyclosporiasis, a parasitic stomach bug spread via contaminated produce. A total of 67 cases were recorded in the UK between 30 April and 15 July, according to the Health Security Agency. The vast majority involved travellers returning from Mexico.

More than 10,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the US, which imports large amounts of produce from its southern neighbour. Two deaths this week in Michigan were the first reported fatalities linked to the outbreak.

What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is a form of food poisoning caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. It can result in “watery, and sometimes explosive, diarrhoea and other stomach problems”, as well as a low-grade fever in some cases, said leading US medical centre the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms can start any time between two and 14 days after consuming contaminated food or water.

The parasite is more common in tropical countries, but since mid-June, cases have been spiking in the US even among people who had not travelled abroad recently. Investigators have yet to pinpoint the cause of the multistate outbreak, but the most likely culprits are “things that grow in fields”, infectious diseases expert David Freedman told CNN. That includes plants “that you might put in a salad or use as a garnish” such as lettuce leaves and herbs, and fresh fruit such as strawberries and blueberries.

How is it treated?
Antibiotics can help clear the infection. If untreated, cyclosporiasis can result in “severe dehydration and other complications”, said the Cleveland Clinic. But with proper treatment, “most people feel better after a week or two”, though some “may still have occasional bouts of diarrhoea for up to a month”.

What can be done to prevent infection? 
Health authorities advise people travelling to areas known to harbour cyclospora to follow good food and water hygiene measures. That includes drinking bottled water only, avoiding raw produce such as fresh fruit, salads and herbs, and ensuring all food is thoroughly cooked before eating.

A supporter of Turkey’s Trabzonspor football club kisses a banner celebrating the arrival of its latest signing, former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian forward touched down in Istanbul this morning to begin a two-year deal with the Süper Lig side.

Ozan Kose / AFP / Getty Images 

Rachel Cusk is no stranger to controversy. Her candid memoirs on the perils of motherhood and her messy divorce drew some hostile reactions, and her latest book – “Life of M” – has sent the rumour mill into overdrive amid claims that a character is based on Natalie Portman. But the British novelist has also transformed autofiction and scooped multiple literary awards for her icy dissections of human behaviour. Here we take a look at some of her best books.

A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother (2001)
Cusk’s “brutally honest and somewhat confronting” memoir about motherhood sparked an almighty backlash and accusations of child-hating, said Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in The Guardian. But it’s also “bitterly funny”, and remains “one of the best, and least sentimental”, accounts of pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn.

Outline (2014)
The first book in Cusk’s “groundbreaking” trilogy of the same name follows “divorced novelist and mother-of-two” Faye on her journey to Athens to teach a writing course, said The Guardian. Unfolding through a series of conversations with people she “meets along the way”, a conventional plot is “practically non-existent”, which turns out to be a “revelatory” decision. “Really, it’s a masterpiece.”

Coventry (2019)
In her first book of essays, Cusk proves her non-fiction can be as “coolly glittering” as her novels, said Dwight Garner in The New York Times. She writes with “candour”, “seriousness”, and a “subtle” touch about themes including “her obligations as mother, daughter, citizen, artist and breadwinner”. These are “first-rate” essays, well worth reading.

The justice system is collapsing
David Shipley in The Spectator
Early prisoner releases are “already putting the public at greater risk”, writes former prisoner David Shipley. Reoffending rates are up and “the tagging system is broken”. With no “real rehabilitation happening in jails”, we’re just “sending people out to commit more crime”. I’m glad the worst sex offenders won’t now be released early, but “it’s not enough”. We need sufficient capacity to “jail those we want to jail”, even if that requires “legislation to force the building of new jails”.

Flies are everywhere right now – but there is a simple £10 solution
Tom Bawden in The i Paper
“Repeated heatwaves” have “created ideal breeding conditions” for flies, writes Tom Bawden. My top tips for keeping them away are to clear food from bins, use screens on doors and power up your fans, as “flies cannot fly well in moving air”. They’re also repelled by “essential oils like eucalyptus, lavender or peppermint”, which cost around a tenner, so rub some around windows to force them out, while welcoming house spiders “with open arms”.

I’m Begging You: Never Write With A.I.
Bret Stephens in The New York Times
Writing with AI is “mentally enfeebling”, writes Bret Stephens. It’s “an escalator toward a result when you really need to make a daily habit of taking the stairs”. Writing makes us “subject our thinking to the effort of articulation”; the “considered word” has “staying power and moral weight”. By “accelerating the decline of writing”, AI is undermining “society’s collective ability to reason”. Words written without a machine are an “act of resistance against an ever-dumber world”.