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  • Private school boys

    Doubts grow over Labour’s VAT plan for private schools

    Confusion over 1 January start date as unions, tax experts and school leaders say it is unworkable
  • Taylor Swift

    Revealed: Premier League’s £100,000 ‘freebies’ operation to target cabinet and MPs amid battle over new regulator

News

  • Fiona poses for a photograph sitting on a log in a park or woodland

    Children raised by friends or relatives are being ‘plunged into poverty’, says UK charity

  • An Ocado delivery van in Hackney, London.

    Ocado and AA join growing revolt against London congestion charge for electric vans

    Forty businesses sign open letter to Sadiq Khan saying extending £15 daily levy to electric vans will backfire
  • An empty primary school classroom.

    ‘The community is in the fabric of the building’: as UK pupil numbers fall, what will happen to empty schools?

    The exodus of young families from some areas amid rising housing and childcare costs has left empty buildings

  • Coroners warn of risk to lives without urgent reform of NHS adult care

  • Private firms ran almost all care homes forced to shut for breaches in England

  • Wanted: expedition botanist to follow in Darwin’s footsteps and look for plants

  • A year of war accelerates ‘silent departure’ of Israel’s elite

  • ‘I had to evacuate five times’: a year in the life of a Gaza doctor battling to help victims

  • Increase wealth taxes to stop rise of Reform UK, says ex-Labour minister

  • Parkrun at 20: how a gentle jog turned into a 5km Saturday morning obsession

  • Waiter! Soho’s cafe society confused after law changes on tipping

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World

  • Graphic of Trump's head shattering

    ‘Undisciplined, unhinged and deranged’: will Trump’s strange behavior hurt him at the polls?

    While he’s always been quick to insult, he’s now frequently vicious, and his speeches are increasingly disjointed
  • Vybz Kartel with his 19-year-old son Likkle Addi

    ‘Stay away from gangsterism’: freed dancehall star Vybz Kartel on his regrets after 13 years in jail

  • Beirut’s Skybar nightclub, left, is now providing shelter, right, to hundreds of Lebanese families displaced by Israeli airstrikes.

    ‘The mosque was closed but the nightclub opened its doors’: bombed-out families find shelter in Beirut venue

  • In sector 6 of Cañada Real in Madrid residents have to use butane gas cylinders and gasoline generators to have electricity for a few hours a day. Antonio, 40 with his grandchildren, Yumara and Diego.

    ‘We’re living like wild animals’: Europe’s largest shantytown waits in vain for power

  • Standing Figure: Knife Edge, 1961. In Athens, with the Acropolis in the background.

    ‘He saw how architecture and sculpture could coexist’: why Greece fell in love with Henry Moore

  • Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire HTZ001 in the High Level Forest Area<br>An image taken through a window shows smoke rising from mutual aid wildfire HTZ001 in the High Level Forest Area, which originated from the Northwest Territories in 2023 but flared due to strong winds, near Indian Cabins, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

    Canada’s carbon tax is popular, innovative and helps save the planet – but now it faces the axe

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In focus

  • Camel riders in a detail of a wall painting from the south wall of the Hall of the Ambassadors, from Samarkand State Museum in Uzbekistan.

    The Silk Road still casts a spell, but was the ancient trading route just a western invention?

    Two dazzling new exhibitions at the British Library and British Museum show the riches of the supposed east-west link but also highlight problems with the whole idea
  • James Cleverly gesturing as he gives a speech at the party conference

    Confused and conflicted: Tory party’s future hangs in the balance after divided conference

  • Liz Truss

    Wealthy, white and rightwing: the Tory members holding the party’s future in their hands

  • Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, with lots of people, pools and fairground ride-like structures on it, heads away from Miami, Florida, with skyscrapers and buildings on either side of the waterway

    Never-ending odyssey: the rise of perpetual cruises that offer the very wealthy a new home at sea

  • Two men in suits talk and walk in a corridor

    ‘I’m fine with people bashing us’: inside the controversial Trump biopic

  • Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in character asnd in periodf costume gazing into each other's eyes

    ‘An impossible passion’: cinema’s long love affair with Wuthering Heights

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Comment

  • Will Hutton

    After 100 days of mistakes, we need to hear Labour’s underlying philosophy

    Will Hutton
  • Andrew Rawnsley

    Whoever becomes the next Tory leader shouldn’t assume they’ll be safe in the job

    Andrew Rawnsley
  • Martha Gill

    Social media isn’t driving the plastic surgery boom. Who doesn’t want to look better?

    Martha Gill

  • Tales of infanticide have stoked hatred of Jews for centuries. They echo still today

    Howard Jacobson

  • Amanda Abbington was brave enough to complain. She shouldn’t shrink from admitting it

    Barbara Ellen

  • TikTok is full of advice on how to retire early. The truth is you just need rich parents

    Torsten Bell

  • The Feeble Four: Tory superheroes assemble – cartoon

  • A pause for peace is the best the world can hope for in the Middle East’s war without end

    Simon Tisdall

  • Four years after buying an electric car, why am I still forced to play hunt-the-charger?

    Ros Coward

  • Is Gaudí’s slave trade-funded park a blot on Barcelona’s landscape?

    Rowan Moore

  • In tackling Vladimir Putin’s web of troll farms and hackers, we have one advantage: democracy

    Peter Pomerantsev
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Editorials & Letters

  • Keir Starmer and Bridget Phillipson perch on a school table, with parents and a toddler in the foreground.

    The Observer view on early years education: Labour must find the money to address the attainment gap

  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JULY 04, 2016: Narrow street with souvenir shops as minaret on background in Muristan - christian quarter, popular tourist destin<br>JF89AA JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JULY 04, 2016: Narrow street with souvenir shops as minaret on background in Muristan - christian quarter, popular tourist destin

    The Observer view on the Middle East: a year on, there is only one way to a credible peace

    Israel has a right to defend itself, but not over the bodies of thousands of civilians. A two-state solution is the only way to stop the bloodshed
  • Qari Muhammad Asim, Justin Welby and Ephraim Mirvis.

    We stand together on the Middle East crisis, united in grief

    Shared humanity unifies us, write leading UK. figures from Islam, Christianity and Judaism
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Business & Cash

  • Jennifer Salke in a red suit poses seated for a photograph

    ‘Bond’s audience will be patient’: Amazon MGM Studios’ boss on the hunt for a new 007

  • Illustration of a computer with an envelope on the screen containing a hooded figure

    ‘My father was devastated’: family battles to recover thousands stolen in email scam

  • Angela Rayner in hi vis jacket and hard hat walking through a building site

    ‘It’s decimated’: Rayner faces a battle to boost Britain’s social housing

  • An aerial view of construction on the high-speed railway in Birmingham

    Less haste more speed will win Labour the race to fix 21st-century Britain

    Phillip Inman
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Sport

  • Dani Carvajal sits on the ground after his knee injury late in the match

    European football: Carvajal suffers serious knee injury in Real Madrid win

  • Magnus Carlsen behind a chessboard

    Magnus Carlsen: ‘Play chess against Mo Salah? I would love that’

    The football-mad world No 1 is in London playing for a $1m prize fund and despite dominating the chess world says he has never played the perfect game
  • Harry Maguire scores Manchester United’s stoppage time equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Porto on Thursday

    Players responsible for Manchester United results, says Harry Maguire

    Harry Maguire has urged United’s players not to blame Erik ten Hag for results and to raise their levels for trip to Aston Villa

  • Ten Hag’s transfers rated: flop Antony set tone for United’s slapdash spree

  • Too much too soon: glimmers of light from Chelsea’s splurge but at what cost?

    Jonathan Wilson

  • Pickford’s penalty save for Everton ruins Gordon’s return with Newcastle

  • Linsey Smith lifts England to win over Bangladesh at Women’s T20 World Cup

  • Pep Guardiola insists leaky Manchester City defence doesn’t worry him

  • Wigan run riot to overwhelm Leigh and put historic quadruple in sight

  • Liverpool occupy Crystal Palace’s turf like a team of peacekeepers

  • Ben Stokes confident England have characters who can take the heat

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Reviews

  • Leon Bridges with his guitar in sunny countryside

    Leon Bridges: Leon review – deliciously soulful confection with added country

  • A member of Sequenza 9.3 performing at the Biennale Musica in Venice.

    The week in classical: Biennale Musica; Scottish Ensemble; Paraorchestra: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs – review

  • Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux.

    Joker: Folie à Deux review – Lady Gaga electrifies in mediocre musical sequel

  • A woman wearing a large white fur coat stands in the street.

    The week in TV: Joan; Industry; Nobody Wants This; Heartstopper – review

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New Review

  • Barbara Kingsolver photographed at her home in Virginia by Ian Curcio for the Observer New Review, August 2024.

    ‘I’ve dealt with anti-hillbilly bigotry all my life’: Barbara Kingsolver on JD Vance, the real Appalachia and why Demon Copperhead was such a hit

    As the Pulitzer-winning author’s little-known first book is published in the UK, she discusses the roots of division in the US, her wild childhood, and putting the story straight about where she’s from
  • Emma D'Arcy.

    Emma D’Arcy: ‘I’m desperate for a sword on House of the Dragon next season’

  • Giles Duley and Olive Mutetamfura photographed by Paola Kudacki for the Observer New Review.

    ‘What is it that keeps you wanting to survive?’ Giles Duley and Rwandan genocide survivor Olive Mutetamfura on resilience and forgiveness

  • David Mitchell

    How low will a Tory go in order to stand out?

    David Mitchell
  • Bob Dylan with his guitar on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1974 during his tour with The Band.

    Author Geoff Dyer on Bob Dylan: ‘The songs pour off his records like they’re written in my soul from him to me’

  • a portrait shot of susana monsó

    ‘Elephants show immense interest in corpses’: Susana Monsó, the philosopher examining what animals know about death

  • Paul Rudolph: the artful architect who inspired Foster and Rogers

  • ‘Nature is free, and the best kind of medicine’: is this the perfect walk for improving mental health?

  • The big picture: Melanie Friend encounters a changing China

  • Nobel prize winner Olga Tokarczuk: ‘We live with violence and misogyny like some sort of constant illness’

  • The blogosphere is in full bloom. The rest of the internet has wilted

    John Naughton

  • ‘A great work of feminist art’: how the Bloomsbury group’s Famous Women Dinner Service got a place at the table

  • On my radar: Armando Iannucci’s cultural highlights

  • One to watch: Holysseus Fly

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Magazine

  • Stanley Tucci<br>SPECIAL PRICE. APPROVAL REQUIRED. Actor, director, and cookery writer and presenter Stanley Tucci

    ‘It’s all I think about’: Stanley Tucci on love, grief and pasta

    Screen favourite, cocktail maker, cancer survivor, sex symbol… Stanley Tucci is a man of many parts. The ‘Tooch’ discusses fame, his new book – and the perils of cooking for children
  • Adam Pearson shot for OM

    ‘My disability is the least interesting thing about me’: Actor Adam Pearson on fame, film and his sibling rivalry

  • Fatima Whitbread MBE, retired British javelin thrower. Seen at her home in Essex.

    Fatima Whitbread: ‘I was abandoned as a baby, but I’m one of the lucky ones’

  • Chloe Day, 25, lying surrounded by her collection of 235 Jellycats.

    ‘I have to have one of those’: plushie super-fans explain the appeal

  • OM Nigel Shallots Tomatoes Egg

    Nigel Slater’s recipes for baked eggs and tomatoes

  • Hair raising: make the most of your crowning glory.

    Head rush: cutting-edge tips and treatments in our good hair guide

  • Being a writer and opening a restaurant are total opposites…

  • Vincent van Gogh’s Arles: visiting the pretty Provençal city that inspired his greatest masterpieces

  • Nigel Slater’s recipes for pumpkin, soy and honey, and fennel gratin with anchovies

  • Will my daughter’s vexed bedtimes be too much for her grandparents?

    Séamas O’Reilly

  • Notes on chocolate: release your inner cookie monster

  • Mealybugs, mobiles… It’s been a tough week for my plants and kids

    Eva Wiseman

  • Sunday with Michel Roux: ‘Where’s the coffee? Good quality coffee. Never instant. I can’t abide instant’

  • Three superb sémillons from the southern hemisphere

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Observer Food Monthly

  • Nigel Slater sitting at a table with plant pots on it in a garden

    Moments, memories and meal to cherish: exclusive extract from Nigel Slater’s new book

    A Thousand Feasts is a collection of stories and insights from the Observer’s food writer. Here, he reflects on simple joys that can arrive anywhere, from a beach half a world away to his own kitchen
  • Football food

    Who ate all the falafels? The changing face of football’s match-day menus

  • Rachel Cooke

    The Habitat chicken brick is back – but what’s the best way to roast a bird?

    Rachel Cooke
  • Grilled mackerel & marinated tomatoes Café Cecilia Cookbook

    Ham hock, Guinness bread, grilled mackerel: recipes from the Cafe Cecilia cookbook

  • Julie Lin's Mee Siam

    Welcome to September’s Observer Food Monthly

  • Kerabu bee hoon. Photography and prop styling: Kate Whitaker. Food Styling: Lizzie Harris

    Scissor-cut, stir-fry and ‘a hug in a bowl’: six great noodle recipes

  • Jeremy King: ‘The first time I was ever impressed by anyone was Meryl Streep’

  • Rahel Stephanie’s secret ingredient: pandan

  • Anna Jones: ‘Giving up meat and fish was the opposite of hard. You can be more creative’

  • Toasted nori on Pot Noodle, sea salt on supermarket mousse… behold, I am the king of snacks

    Jay Rayner

  • Nigel Slater’s summer tomato recipes to enrich the soul

  • A hard day’s night: life with the food workers who are up all hours

  • Welcome to August’s Observer Food Monthly

  • St John: 30 ways the ‘nose to tail’ restaurant changed the way we eat

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