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Politics
Open fire
Defence is meant to be the first priority of any government. The mishandling of a long-awaited investment plan has undermined Starmer’s security, Catherine Neilan reports
World Cup 2026
ICE on the pitch
Los Angeles will plays host to eight matches in the next six weeks. Not all residents will be welcome, Ella Benson Easton says
Analysis
You can handle the truth
We need to shake up the legal system to stop powerful interests from being allowed to lie to us with impunity, Geoff Mulgan writes
For today
Epstein scandal
Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Where is Sarah Ferguson? Traces of her once-big business ambitions offer no clue
Criminal justice
Kenan Malik
Sentencing the Palestine activists for terrorism places civil liberties in grave peril
What’s on my mind
Catherine Cho
Catherine Cho: ‘I have a feeling of wonder in the power of words’
Profile
Barbara Ellen
Curry Barker: the young debut director terrifying Gen Z cinema audiences
Editor’s picks
Xavier Greenwood
Ghost at the feast: how Noma’s René Redzepi became untouchable
Frank Bowling
‘Drawing as a boy was one of the most important things I did’
Evan Moffitt
David Hockney: the Bradford boy whose love for LA spread around the world
Steve Bloomfield
The world’s become a darker place in the last six months, but there’s still reasons to be cheerful
Ideas
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Artificial intelligence
Patricia Clarke
AI anxiety is fast becoming a political problem
Politics
Andrew Rawnsley
Operation Fubar: even Keir Starmer’s team players are abandoning the field of battle
Animal kingdom
Simon Barnes
Thick-legged flower beetle: ‘By our thighs you shall know us’
Letters
Ukraine is not the only forgotten war
Lifestyle
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Health
Caitlin Macdonald
Who wants to be CEO of Me, Inc? The tide is turning against optimising life
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
Into the wild
Charlotte Mendelson
Oxford in bloom – and my father, in corduroy
Culture
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Pop
Anna Leszkiewicz
Laura Marling: how motherhood changed my tune
Photography
Killian Fox
Portrait of a down-to-earth childhood
Books
William Boyd
Anthony Blunt, the spy who outwitted them all
Film
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide’s pick of other films: Time and Water, The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, I Am Frankelda
In Real Life
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Observations & scenes from the world beyond your phone screen
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
World Cup
Rory Smith
In pictures: Cape Verde make the most of ocean’s XI
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?
