CATEGORIES

Decision to release FSB hitman 'not taken lightly'

The German government said it did not take the decision to release a jailed FSB hitman lightly, as it confirmed its involvement in a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the west.

Free at last My friend Evan never lost hope

'We exchanged letters on a weekly basis for 16 months, and throughout his time in a Russian prison the journalist in him never faded'

What can stop the spread of Gaza's flames?

If Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was hoping for a honeymoon period after his inauguration late last month, he must be sadly disappointed.

Tragedy eclipsed How the disorder unfolded

Riots spread across numerous cities and towns in England, and in Belfast in Northern Ireland, after the murder of three young girls in Southport in northwest England last Monday.

The big story England riots Grief, hate and healing

The fatal stabbing of three young girls in a seaside town was followed by a wave of antiimmigrant riots, provoked in part by online misinformation. As Southport tried to mourn, how did events take such a turn- and what do they reveal about the nation's communities?

Crackdown on student protests sparks 'mass movement'

Hasan still has the metal pellets Bangladeshi police fired at him lodged deep in his bones. Fearful that he will join the growing ranks of those thrown behind bars for participating in protests that have swept Bangladesh in the past month, Hasan has been in hiding for a week and described his state as one of \"constant panic and trauma\".

On repeat - Election fraud fears as Maduro wins again

Nicolás Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election by the governmentcontrolled electoral authority - a result that appeared to dash opposition hopes of ending his authoritarian, socialist rule. It was immediately challenged by rivals and several governments in the region and beyond.

Reeves acts to plug £22bn hole 'covered up' by Tories

Measures include winter fuel payments cut for wealthier pensioners and shelving cap onsocial care payments

Professor fired in abuse case as #MeToo earns rare win

Public allegations of sexual harassment are rare in China. Swift responses to punish the accused are rarer still.

Water wars: The admiral who wrecked his ship to thwart China

In 1999, a Philippine navy ship made one final, secret voyage, sailing from Manila Bay into the remote waters of the South China Sea. The BRP Sierra Madre then ran aground, and hasn't moved since.

The refugee beaten and conscripted into Putin's war machine

A year ago, the Somali journalist Ilyas Ahmad Elmi set out for Europe. He had been repeatedly threatened by jihadi extremists at home, and hoped to make it to Germany, where he planned to seek asylum and be with his eight-year-old son. \"I left because I wanted to see my son, who I've never met... and because I had received threats,\" said Elmi.

Slipped discs How I wish I had held on to all my CDs

Growing up in the 1990s, compact discs provided the soundtrack to my life. Then along came the digital age and I couldn't get rid of them fast enough

Never mind the ballots

Democracy comes under scrutiny in its birthplace, Athens, in a show that looks at despotism and resistance, from spies lurking in the Parthenon to pop art shootings

Climate of fear

Why Hollywood is reluctant to change its narrative on the environment

How police understand misogynistic violence is key to stopping it - Gaby Hinsliff

Natalie Fleet was only 15 when she got pregnant by an older man. At the time, she says she didn't really know how to describe what was happening; she didn't see herself as being groomed, or as a child still not legally old enough to consent.

Murdoch's dynastic power play is a warning to rein in the super rich - Will Hutton

We live in an era of private dynasties. America's billionaires are worth a cool $5.5tn at the last count. Three Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Tesla's Elon Musk and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg - are worth over a staggering $500bn between them. Americans dominate the global billionaire league table: Britain has none in the top hundred. But we still have enough to cause concern.

My father, the Nazi

My father did terrible things during the second world war, and my other relatives were equally unrepentant. It wasn't until my late 50s that I started to confront this dark past.

Gaza voices

All Palestinians in Gaza have been affected by Israel's response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October. Here seven Gazans explain how they deal with destruction and displacement in a conflict that has lasted nine months and claimed more than 39,000 lives

'Kamalove' The gen Z voters who could swing the election

Kamala Harris pledged to earn young people's votes, as the vice-president and newly elevated presumptive Democratic nominee rides a gen Z-powered wave of online \"Kamalove\".

Expired drugs pose risk to astronauts

When it comes to crewed missions to Mars, there is no shortage of hazards, from space radiation to a hostile environment. Now researchers have found another: many medicines astronauts may take are likely to expire before they return to Earth.

Life on Mars Nasa scientists spend 378 days in simulation of future mission

Fora crew of four volunteers who agreed to be lockedina mock-up of the red planet, even lettuce leaves became objects of wonder

Town's shock and anger at deaths of 12 children in rocket strike

The funeral lament rang out across Majdal Shams, from the centre of the town, from balconies and from rooftops.

Club members: It's not just the usual suspects -other countries are ramping up oil production

\"Drill, baby, drill!\" Donald Trump's avowal to pump up the US's oil and gas production should not be surprising. The US has ramped up fossil fuel production to become the world's biggest producer: its projected licences for 2024 could lead to 397m tonnes of planet-heating emissions.

Future prosperity Petrostate with a clean, green image

Asit rapidly adopts clean technologies while drilling furiously for oil and gas, the Nordic nation is a paradox

Heroes or villains?

States with low dependence on fossil fuels are best placed to lead the green transition, but some are being criticised for ‘hypocrisy’ as new gas and oil projects surge. These are the other petrostates

The big chill: frozen desserts that don’t need anice-cream machine

In the absence of a machine, the obvious solution to frozen dessert needs is granita.

The pianist who reduces conductors to tears

Yunchan Lim's dazzling talent has brought him fame at home in Korea. The 20-year-old has the world at his feet now as he prepares tomake his Proms debut

An excellent adventure

Keanu Reeves and China Mieéville talk about their literary bromance and their quest toturna pulpy idea’ into something deeper

Labour must expose the snake-oil charm peddled by populism

For a politician who has avoided high-flown rhetoric, Keir Starmer is sounding remarkably ambitious.

A New York accent in ancient Rome? It's no less accurate than RP

Whose head could I give you that would satisfy this fury?\" asks Denzel Washington's crafty Macrinus in the long-awaited trailer for Ridley Scott's Gladiator II.