‘It was a light in the dark’: how a bakery transformed lives in war-torn Mostar

Jasmin Elezović was six years old when his home became a war zone.It was 1993 and the historic city of Mostar, straddling the Neretva River in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, had become the centre of some of the most vicious fighting of the Bosnian war, which had begun more than a year earlier.Elezović and his mother were living with two other families in a small flat in the east of the city, the frontline barely 200 metres from their door. For nine months that year Mostar was under siege, split in two by brutal fighting, with 60,000 people in the eastern part of the city under relentless bombardment by fighting forces identifying as Croats.His recollections of that time are scattered and bleak

Guardian and Observer readers raise £1.25m so far in charity appeal

With just over a week to go, an incredible £1,250,000 has been raised by generous readers for the 2024 Guardian and Observer appeal in support of victims of conflict and war.Three charities will benefit from the appeal: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and War Child, which carry out frontline medical aid work in war zones, and Parallel Histories, which helps schools teach sensitive and controversial histories such as those of Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine.The overall total stood at £1,262,000 at midday on Friday, with more than 11,200 readers donating to the appeal. It is the 10th year in a row the annual appeal has raised over £1m. Over the past decade it has raised just short of £15m for good causes

Fixing England’s social care will be biggest challenge yet for Louise Casey

She is the no-nonsense civil servant from Portsmouth who was called upon by four prime ministers to tackle deep-rooted social issues, including rough sleeping, antisocial behaviour, victims’ rights and troubled families.Now Louise Casey has been tasked by a fifth to chair an independent commission into adult social care. Her mission? Develop a plan to save the sector.Lady Casey must build a consensus around a new national care service able to meet the needs of millions of older and disabled people for decades to come. It will be her toughest challenge yet

Loneliness linked to ill health through effect on protein levels, research suggests

Loneliness has long been associated with ill health but researchers say they have fresh insights into the link between the two.While poor health can result in people becoming isolated and lonely, studies have also suggested loneliness can itself lead to poorer health.Now researchers say they have unpicked a mechanism for the latter relationship, finding loneliness can affect the levels of a handful of proteins associated with various diseases and even death.Prof Barbara Sahakian, a co-author of the study at the University of Cambridge, said the World Health Organization had declared social isolation and loneliness a major problem in the world. “I think the message is that we’ve got to start to get people to realise that it’s part of a health thing, both for their mental health and their wellbeing but also for their physical health, that they have to remain connected with other people,” she said

Cross-party talks on adult social care reform in England to start next month

Cross-party talks over the future of social care will begin next month as the health secretary hit back over criticism that a commission on the issue would take too long to bring about change.Wes Streeting said he wanted all parties to “agree on the direction on social care for the long term” and that the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Reform party had all said they would work together on it.An independent commission to reform adult social care in England was launched on Friday but attracted criticism for kicking much-needed reforms “into the long grass”. Its final recommendations will not be made until 2028.The taskforce, led by the cross-bench peer Louise Casey, will be charged with developing plans for a new national care service, which was a key Labour election manifesto pledge

Police investigate reports of prison attack on Sara Sharif’s father

Police are investigating reports that the father of the schoolgirl Sara Sharif had his throat cut in an assault by fellow inmates while in prison for her murder.Urfan Sharif, 43, is said to have been attacked in Belmarsh prison, south London, by two men who rushed into his cell with a weapon made from the lid of a tuna tin, according to the Sun. The assault is said to have happened on New Year’s Day and caused injuries to his neck and face that are understood to have been treated in prison.The Metropolitan police said in a statement they were investigating an allegation of assault at Belmarsh.Sharif was sentenced to life imprisonment last month, along with Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30