Today’s policymakers have struggled for decades to unlock the benefits of a scheme that helped to build prosperity in the age of trades and artisans

Will SpaceX's latest triumph mean Elon Musk will make it to Mars? Why will the price of Mounjaro weightless drugs go up? Benjamin Netanyahu called the IDF's airstrike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital a “tragic misstep" but so far 240 Palestinian journalists have died since the beginning of the conflict.   Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer's International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, our Acting National News Editor, Rebecca Myers and reporter, James Tapper, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.

A lack of funding is pushing practices into more private and cosmetic work, leading to ‘dental deserts’ in some parts of the country, and worsening oral health

Racetrack closures, climate change and fewer flutters appear to be consigning the ‘sport of kings’ to the knacker’s yard

More of us are picking up a golf club but fewer are paying to join one. It may be time to radically reimagine a sport that gobbles up green space

Brits are renting wombs around the world despite the harm it can do. This pernicious cash and carry should be banned

The number of people being sectioned has ballooned since the end of the padded cell era. Is there more to it than too little money and too few beds?

Privatisation almost drove this national symbol off the road, devolution could steer it back to safety. Now all it needs is passengers...

Thousands of unisex hair salons are folding, but their male-only peers appear to be thriving. The police think they know why

Universal mail once connected the country at a flat, affordable price – now as letters fade and parcels boom, rivals take the profits

These vital institutions can launch businesses and reduce the need for social care

Charities are worried that Christmas might be a disappointment in a country that is falling out of the habit of digging deep

UK policymakers should take a steer from Germany, and back a sector that has clear public and environmental benefits

Times are hard and margins tight, but the party is just getting started behind the exclusive doors of London’s clubland

Like the rest of the NHS, obstetrics is overstretched and in turmoil. But the reasons for this crisis are distinct

The secretive brotherhood is opening up its lodges and advertising at fetes. It will take more than fresh air to dispel the whiff of skulduggery

The Victorian menageries have rebranded themselves as modern-day arks, but their talk of conservation is still painfully contradictory

As transplant waiting lists grow and donor numbers fall, experts say families should not have the final say

Small stores have become condensed high streets, single-stops for diverse shoppers and beloved by gen Zs

Our approach to death and funerals is becoming more streamlined – the sector needs to follow suit

As demand exceeds supply in the UK, too many practitioners are wielding needles and knives without the relevant skills