The ObserverEducationAt 41, I’ve returned to university, an experience which, first time round, totally changed my life. Now I’m one of the oldest students in my year and already in debt, but I’ve discovered a newfound joy for education and the importance of learningLast time I had a first week at university, I successfully shaved a balloon covered in shaving foam without popping it, for which I won shots at the local nightclub, possibly jelly.

Israel-Gaza warGaza activist tells of beating and abuse in Israeli detentionHuman rights worker Ayman Lubbad is among the Palestinian prisoners claiming abuse in Israeli custody, where six have died The Gaza-based human rights activist Ayman Lubbad has not seen his wife and three children for more than a month, since he was ordered to strip to his underwear in the street outside his home, then driven away with other Palestinian men for a week of abuse and detention.

Word of Mouth blogFoodIt seems the Swiss reputation for secrecy extends to recipes: with little by way of guidance on röstis, Felicity Cloake was compelled to experimentFor a simple peasant dish with just two ingredients – and humble ones at that – rösti is surprisingly difficult to pin down. In fact, it's almost as if the Swiss want to keep the recipe secret, tucked away in a subterranean vault, as establishing anything concrete about this Alpine favourite, from the type of potatoes used to the cooking method, is a feat akin to scaling the north face of the Eiger.

A child looks at a wildfire in Chasia on the outskirts of Athens, Greece, on 22 August 2023. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty ImagesA child looks at a wildfire in Chasia on the outskirts of Athens, Greece, on 22 August 2023. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty ImagesClimate crisis‘Off the charts’: 2023 was hottest year ever recorded globally, US scientists confirmNew analysis confirms ‘unprecedented’ record reported by European Union and United Nations scientists

The ObserverMusic This article is more than 2 years oldRaves from the grave: lost 90s subculture is back in the spotlightThis article is more than 2 years oldDriven by a ‘groundswell’ of young devotees and fortysomething nostalgia, a series of events is celebrating the youth movement It is perhaps one of the most ignored subcultures in modern British history, but rave music and the free party movement of the early 90s is coming back into focus.