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

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.

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

Underfunded, over-farmed and politically sidelined, Britain’s most treasured landscapes need more than protection

The number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Britain has soared, and many are being put at risk having got here

Volunteers keep vital services afloat and offer an antidote to our ever more isolated society

The return of the TV series fuels nostalgia for a bucolic professional idyll before private equity took hold

Policymakers are alert to the growing menace of opioids, if not to the most effective solutions

In the wake of Harriet Harman’s report on harassment of women at the bar, it’s time to challenge power imbalances at work