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'It's almost like a weapon': How the blonde bombshell has symbolised desire and danger Western culture, she says, has built a whole mythology around female blondeness − from religious iconography and fairy tales, to art and advertising − that has told specific stories about what it means to be blonde. In cinema's early years, comedies such as Platinum Blonde (1931) and Bombshell (1933), starring Jean Harlow, embedded concepts of the dazzling, devastatingly beautiful blonde into the cultural vernacular. "The idea that you're a bombshell, it's almost like a weapon," says Nead. "On the one hand, it is this kind of ideal, but at the same time, it's also threatening."   Before Harlow, there was another − more natural-looking − blonde on the scene: Mary Pickford, whose amber curls helped earn her the moniker of "America's Sweetheart". But while Pickford played the guileless girl waiting to be rescued, Harlow's peroxide blonde ...
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UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of Gaza civilians seeking aid


The statement by the 27 countries also says Israeli proposals to move Gaza's entire 2.1 million into a so-called "humanitarian city" in the southern Rafah area are unacceptable, noting that "permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law".

They urge Israel, Hamas and the international community to "bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire".

And they warn that they are "prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace".

That is seen by many as code for recognising a state of Palestine, something many countries have done but not all, including the UK and France.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the criticism.

"All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it," he said.

"Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid," he added.

The Israeli military said earlier this month that it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed while seeking aid and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

The Israeli military body responsible for co-ordinating aid, Cogat, also said on Monday that Israel "acts in accordance with international law and is leading efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza in co-ordination with the international organisations".

A spokesperson for the GHF meanwhile appealed to UN agencies to join its operation while also blaming them for "stopping" work and for failing to deliver supplies across the territory.

Chapin Fay told journalists that he had been to border crossings where he saw aid supplies "rotting" because UN agencies would not deliver them.

The Israeli foreign ministry said on Sunday that 700 lorry loads of aid were waiting to be picked up by the UN from crossings.

The UN has said it struggles to pick up and distribute supplies because of the ongoing hostilities, Israeli restrictions on humanitarian movements, and fuel shortages.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

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