50% off limited time offer
Subscribe
World Cup 2026
Harry the German
German football writer Mia Guethe wonders if the England captain’s everyday-bloke persona might have led him to the perfect home away from home
Taylor Swift
An American royal wedding
The superstar singer tied the knot in New York, closing off streets – and putting the Donald Trump out of joint, Evan Moffitt and Caitlin Macdonald report
Maternity
From Letby to labour
Before the birth of her son, Basia Cummings writes that she feared a system that is buckling under the weight of itself, with devastating consequences for mothers across Britain
For today
Iran
Ruth Michaelson
Iran’s ‘funeral of the century’ for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei draws regime’s top brass out of hiding
Education
Rachel Sylvester
‘Burnham bacc’ offers neat solution to the problem of school dropouts
Big Tech
Patricia Clarke
Silenced Facebook whistleblower could be fined for merely nodding
World Cup 2026
Xavier Greenwood
Mile high rub: why England will struggle to rise to Azteca challenge
Lifestyle
View more
Interview
Alex Moshakis
Himesh Patel: ‘Ambition is still something I’ve not come to terms with’
Photography
Hayley Myers
Jodi Rogers’s intimate portrait of love and sex work
Interview
Craig McLean
‘I felt like I owed Scotland’: author Douglas Stuart on championing Hebridean weavers
Body politic
Eva Wiseman
Being seen as a good or bad mum is the mother of all paradoxes
Ideas
View more
Politics
Andrew Rawnsley
No 10 in the North isn’t such a bad idea, so long as Burnham is willing to do battle with No 11
America turns 250
Erica Wagner
A 250th birthday party to unite America? That ship has sailed
America turns 250
Matthew Barzun
In World Cup football, we glimpse what the US crest stood for
Defence
Bernard Gray
Our armed forces have two major problems – the government’s plan fails to address either
National
View more
Maternity crisis
James Tapper
Call for ‘normal birth’ culture to be investigated by maternity taskforce
Elections
Catherine Neilan
Crypto billionaires face ban on donations to Reform under planned cap
Crime
Duncan Gardham
Three teenagers prosecuted for plotting ‘copycat Southport’ attacks
Literature
Lily Isaacs
The unlikely pen pal who shaped Tolkien’s later years
Business
View more
Media
Barney Macintyre
Comcast’s plan to spin off Sky and NBCUniversal casts a shadow
Policy
Ben Zaranko
Here’s how Andy Burnham’s devolution revolution could drive growth
Labour
William Keegan
The right person in No 11 will do more for growth than a Department of Economics
Fintech
Ben Zaranko
Use of AI financial traders ‘poses threat of market meltdown’, warns Bank of England
Sport
View more
Wimbledon
Paul Hayward
Arthur Fery’s lone success leaves him in nosebleed territory
Interview
Jessy Parker Humphreys
Natalie Pirks: ‘You have to prove yourself more as a woman’
Cricket
Jessy Parker Humphreys
England look fighting fit as they aim to end 17 years of hurt
World Cup 2026
Rory Smith
In Maga country, fans find themselves in a state of World Cup fervour
The critics
Classical
Fiona Maddocks
I puritani – flashes of wit and vocal fireworks light up Bellini’s bel canto
TV
Olivia Ovenden
Elle – the jury’s out on the Legally Blonde prequel
Comedy
Simon Parkin
‘I poked the bear and the bear ate me’: Alfie Brown, the last cancelled comedian
Theatre
David Benedict
How to make a movie musical
In Real Life
View more
Observations and scenes from beyond your phone screen
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?
