Take five: A news summary for anxious times

Lost your appetite for rolling news? These are the stories you need to know about this week…

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Hello! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for Take Five. You probably know the score by now – this weekly summary aims to help you stay up to date with the news stories that matter to women and marginalised communities, without immersing yourself in anxiety of the headlines.

Each weekly missive will round up five news stories you need to know about, alongside five good news tales to lighten the load, and a further five longer reads, columns or interviews I’ve found engaging or enlightening over the last week.

No time to waste. Let’s get cracking…

The headlines

1. Pakistan under water as climate change brings ‘monsoon on steroids’

More than 1,136 people have died and an estimated half a million have been displaced after flooding left a third of Pakistan under water.

The UN this week issued an urgent appeal for global aid after what officials described as a “monsoon on steroids” brought record rainfall across the country.

Pakistan’s government has said that more than 33 million people, around 15% of the population, have been affected by extreme weather over the summer.

Climate Minister Sherry Rehman this week described the situation as a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions.”