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Makerfield
Squeaky Burnham time
The man who would be PM appears to be in the lead in for Thursday’s byelection, but does he have what it takes to win beyond it? Ceri Thomas reports from Makerfield
Fitness
Pepped up
Experts are warning that the black market boom in unregulated peptides – fuelled by the looksmaxxing craze – could have fatal consequences, Madeleine Parr and Stephen Armstrong write
World Cup 2026
The patriot games
Fans tell Rory Smith they are happy to put their criticisms of the Trump administration aside to cheer on Team USA
For today
Politics
Tom Baldwin
Starmer stands accused of ‘not trying his best’. It’s just not true
Northern Ireland
RóisÃn Lanigan
‘Violence in these communities is seen as entertainment’: how the far right stoked riots
Epstein scandal
Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Where is Sarah Ferguson? Traces of her once-big business ambitions offer no clue
The real deal
Lily Isaacs
When Harry met Harry: the rise of Styles’s top tribute act
David Hockney
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Lifestyle
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Kitchen nightmares
Xavier Greenwood
Ghost at the feast: how Noma’s René Redzepi became untouchable
Body politic
Eva Wiseman
The spermmaxxing industry is full of bad seeds
Discourse
Seun Matiluko
Getting Uppity: why Nels Abbey’s debate forum has real clout
Recipe
Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater’s recipe for basil yoghurt ice
Culture
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Theatre
Vanessa Thorpe
Indira Varma: ‘My adrenal glands are on full throttle’
Books
Ellen Peirson-Hagger
Ocean Vuong: ‘Service industry work is like a sonnet to me’
Art
Laura Cumming
Julio Le Parc: All the fun of the fair/ Fairground attractions
Books
William Boyd
Anthony Blunt, the spy who outwitted them all
Ideas
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Politics
Andrew Rawnsley
Operation Fubar: even Keir Starmer’s team players are abandoning the field of battle
Free speech
Kenan Malik
Sentencing the Palestine activists for terrorism places civil liberties in grave peril
Artificial intelligence
Patricia Clarke
AI anxiety is fast becoming a political problem
Always the critic
Frank Skinner
Doctor, the critics will see you now: we’re still diagnosing House – 14 years on
National
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Crime
Rachel Sylvester
Met chief Mark Rowley on the ‘Al Capone’ strategy to tackle the 100 worst abusers
Politics
Tomé Morrissy-Swan
Lib Dems are the only real green party in Britain, says Tim Farron
Crime
John Simpson
Former police officer ran county lines drug ring ‘worth hundred and thousands of pounds’
Fitness
Jessy Parker Humphreys
‘You get the bug!’: Parkrun – the event that got the world running 5km
World
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Columnists
Steve Bloomfield
The world’s become a darker place in the last six months, but there’s still reasons to be cheerful
Mexico
Thomas Graham
Digging for Mexico’s disappeared: ‘If my son is dead, he might be here’
US
Rory Smith
A cage fight at the White House puts the Trumpian world-view on show
Sport
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Cricket
Paul Hayward
Curfews are ridiculous, but Ben Stokes is paying a proportionate price
Rugby union
Ben Coles
Exeter Chiefs produce astonishing comeback to reach Prem final
Cricket
Jessy Parker Humphreys
England’s opening World Cup salvo suggests break with past
Golf
US Open an achievable aim for Aaron Rai - golf’s Mr Nice
The critics
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Books
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In Real Life
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Observations & scenes from the world beyond your phone screen
Food
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The Sensemaker
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Belfast
Fred Harter
Northern Ireland’s divided society is fertile ground for far-right extremists
Football
George Simms
The World Cup can show nations at their best. It may show the US at its worst
Climate
Fred Harter
An octopus surge is reshaping England’s coastal waters
Lebanon
Oliver Marsden
Israel’s offensive in Lebanon could reignite the Iran war
Meet the Observers
To meet more of our team, click here
Tortoise Investigates
Deep Water
In the high-stakes sport of freediving, athletes descend as deep as they can on a single breath. They are used to putting their lives at risk. Through her diving instructor, Lydia Gard discovered a new threat that could tear their community apart: drug use
Sweet Bobby
Kirat is a successful radio presenter. On Facebook she meets Bobby, a handsome cardiologist. He’s a catch. Soon, they get tangled up in a love affair full of lies and manipulation. Then… Kirat discovers a deception of almost unimaginable proportions. Alexi Mostrous investigates a very modern love story
Lucky Boy
Gareth’s whole life has been defined by a relationship he had 35 years ago when, as a 14-year-old schoolboy, he fell in love with an attractive young teacher at his school. He spent most afternoons in her bedroom. But when she walked out of his life, everything started to unravel. Chloe Hadjimatheou asks: who gets to be a perpetrator, and who gets to be a victim?
