Newspaper
The Observer
Gaza's ceasefire brought hope, but it was the calm before a brutal storm
In Gaza this weekend, the mood is darker than it has been at perhaps any time in this long war. Last Tuesday Israeli warplanes, tanks, artillery, drones and ships launched a wave of strikes, shattering the increasingly fragile pause in hostilities that had brought respite to the devastated territory for nearly two months. The ceasefire had also brought hope which, Palestinians in Gaza said, made the return to violence that much more unbearable.
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Why decolonise Shakespeare when all the world's a stage for his ideas on injustice?
The trend for cultural reappraisal risks upholding the very ideas it aims to dismantle
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Hard times: why Rachel Reeves must be bold and ditch her Dickensian rulebook
In her crucial statement this week, the chancellor would do well to reject the Gradgrind mindset
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Lest we forget: is this the last shred of our mutual respect with Russia?
Each country cares for the war graves of the other - a private agreement with Britain that seems to persist despite current tension
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
All families 'to be worse off by 2030' as poor bear the brunt
Blow for PM over living standards pledge Chancellor under pressure ahead of cuts
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Erdoğan defiant as Turkish protests start to morph into a movement
Emboldened by the US, Turkey's president shows no sign of giving in to growing anger over the detention of a political opponent,
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
'I get 100 messages a day': Church of Scientology accused of abusing critics
Campaigners have faced allegations of bigotry, sexual misconduct and criminal behaviour from social media accounts linked to the organisation.
6 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
#YouToo, Gwynnie? Intimacy coordinators make sex scenes safe for all, not just A-listers
The film star is among those undermining a role that was created to protect the powerless
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
'They preyed on her': asylum seekers allege abuse in mixed-sex hotels
Claims against other residents and staff in Home Office accommodation include the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl, reports Shanti Das
6 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Excluded pupils twice as likely to commit serious violent crime
Study highlights how system fails troubled teens, say campaigners
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
The secret book club: teenagers dare to read on as Russian forces destroy banned texts
So-called 'extremist' Ukrainian literature tells young readers of Putin's ultimate aim to destroy their country. So much for any talk of peace, write Peter Pomerantsev and Alina Dykhman
6 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Should Reeves's fiscal rules stay golden, or are they meant to be broken?
Phillip Inman on the economic constraints underpinning the chancellor's spring statement - and why she sees them as vital
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Roll up, roll up for AGM season – there's plenty for protesters to be angry about
Fireworks over politics and pay mean that this year's meetings could prove very tricky for some big companies, writes Julia Kollewe
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
'Wellbeing' isn't a joke - it's a tool for tackling populism
Last week’s International Day of Happiness lives on. Not so much in the US, where the chaotic uncertainty engineered by Donald Trump and his Project 2025 supporters is creating misery, and not just for the public servants fired or suspended from their jobs.
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Disability benefit cuts could push £1.2bn bill on NHS and councils
For every £1 saved on Pip, campaigners warn, £1.50 will have to be spent as local authorities step in
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
A new MP for Runcorn? Bring on Reform, say disillusioned voters
Now Labour's Mike Amesbury has quit, many locals feel it’s time for a radical change. Lizzie Dearden and Toby Helm preview a vital byelection
4 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
'Wake-up call': ministers look for answers after chaos at Heathrow
Government launches urgent investigation into airport shutdown as CEO says he is 'proud' of the response
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
We've forgotten lessons of Covid, say experts
Key scientific lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic are being for- gotten, UK scientists have warned.
2 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
Lab test: dogs can sniff out dangerous microbes in lung disease sufferers
Imperial College project could lead to less invasive testing and combat increase in antibiotic resistance
3 min |
March 23, 2025
The Observer
The NHS faces stern long-term challenges. These job cuts may just exacerbate them
On Thursday, Keir Starmer pledged to streamline the “flabby state” and take on a “cottage industry of blockers and checkers” to deliver better outcomes for citizens.
2 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
Evict the Bloomsbury scroungers? Sussex town torn over 'elitist' legacy
Debate rages in Lewes over the future of a council building used for culture as public services are squeezed
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
We can't move for therapists but are they helping or harming mental health patients?
I was struck by the news last week that GPs are so overwhelmed with mental health patients that they are directing them to the care of unregulated charities. Complex cases are now in the hands of therapists who are not always qualified to treat them.
4 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
Low mileage, several careful renters ... will car-sharing ever get into top gear?
Spotify did it for music. Netflix did it for films. For people in big cities, the app economy promised to do the same for cars: making a life without ownership of a couple of tonnes of metal possible.
4 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
Kyiv's allies must not fall into the trap set by Putin
A halt to the killing in Ukraine is a highly desirable aim. A permanent end to the war would be a truly wonderful achievement. Who would not welcome an agreement that stopped Russia's daily slaughter of civilians and its destruction of Ukraine's cities, and which allowed millions of displaced people to return home? But peace at any price is no peace at all, as history shows and we have repeatedly argued here. In his untutored haste, Donald Trump risks rushing into a bad deal with Vladimir Putin that could set the stage for renewed conflict in Ukraine and other vulnerable countries bordering Russia and for an overall weakening of Europe's security.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
What's in their (digital) wallet? The scammers loading phones with stolen cards
Criminals are pouring time and resources into a new way of exploiting hacked bank accounts, writes Shane Hickey
4 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
It is mission critical that Labour repairs the contract between citizen and state
Listening to Sir Keir Starmer’s recent lament that the “flabby” state is failing Britain was to experience deja vu all over again.
6 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
The honeymoon is over for Trump, whose every unwitting misstep brings chaos and strife
If Robert K Merton, the founding father of American sociology, were alive today, he'd be fascinated by the Donald Trump phenomenon. Scarcely more than 50 days into his second presidential term, hapless Trump provides daily proofs of Merton's universal “law of unintended consequences”.
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
Fear of a tariff 'Trumpcession' puts pressure on Bank and Fed over rates
A trade war could push up inflation when both economies really need cheaper borrowing. So what's a central bank to do, asks Phillip Inman
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
The unearthed notebooks that shed light on Faraday's genius
Sketches reveal how the electrical pioneer who inspired Einstein taught himself science
3 min |
March 16, 2025
The Observer
Doris, Olga, Gladys and Rachel – vital war artists now take their rightful place
On eve of 80th anniversary of VE Day, painters who chronicled conflict marked in new exhibition and film
2 min |