CATEGORIES

Berlusconi: media mogul, populist and forerunner of Trump

Вest known for his perma-tan, gaffes, \"bunga bunga\" parties and outsized ego, Silvio Berlusconi was a proto-Trumpian populist, the man to beat in Rome for more than two decades, and one of European politics' most controversial figures

A long game? Why Riyadh is spending billions to buy up sport

It's not often that a multi-millionaire sports star is a pawn in a global power play, but that was the situation Rory McIlroy found himself in last week. The Northern Irishman, currently ranked the third best golfer in the world, was having to explain how he felt after his long campaign to hold out against a disruptive Saudi Arabian competition had ended with the Gulf state sharing control over the entirety of his sport

Death of the dictatorship? Russians in exile dare to dream of Putin's fall

Is Russia about to experience a period of dramatic political change? If so, can exiled democratic forces unite into a coherent bloc and is there any way for them to force themselves on to the political scene?

The dam and the flood

Evidence suggests Russia destroyed the Kakhovka dam, creating a human and environmental disaster. The outcomes could prove crucial for Ukraine's future

Theatregoers behaving badly

What’s it like to star in a  show when audiences are chatting, singing, watching football and opening lagers? Actors vent their anger at the ‘Netflix mindset’

Cannes 2023 High marks in a year to be savoured

Few would deny Anatomy of a Fall the top prize – yet from Jonathan Glazer to Aki Kaurismaki to Wim Wenders, this was an outstanding festival

Organisers cancel Pride events in Florida amid safety fears

Kristina Bozanich knew that this year’s Pride month event in the Florida town of St Cloud would have to be modified to comply with a new law approved by Governor Ron DeSantis last month. One in a series of bills signed by DeSantis this year that escalated his assault on LGBTQ+ rights, the Protection of Children Act prohibits minors from attending “sexually explicit performances” and authorises the fining of businesses that allow children to attend and suspending or revoking their alcohol licences.

Role of US military in question amid cycle of violence

‘We fled here to Niamey with nothing. We don’t even know how to feed ourselves,” said Amadou as he sat outside a tiny concrete home on the fringe of Niger’s capital, recounting an attack on his village by government forces late last year.

The war hero who missed his own day of reckoning

Ben Roberts-Smith was lauded as the nation’s most valorous soldier – until a judge ruled he probably murdered unarmed civilians in Afghanistan

'Blue wall' Tories are falling out of love with the party

If you close your eyes and imagine an archetypal true blue Tory heartland, there is a good chance your mind's eye will conjure up something close to the quaint Surrey town of Godalming. Boutique bakeries and inviting tea rooms dot the immaculate high street, still festooned with union flag bunting from its coronation celebrations. It comes as no surprise to discover the MP is the UK chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.

Why were Italian and Israeli spies on fatal boat trip?

It reads like a pitch for a thriller. A group of tourists board a boat on a beautiful lake at the foot of the Alps. The boat capsizes in a sudden storm. Four drown as others swim to safety. In the days that follow, as authorities struggle to trace hotel bookings for the passengers, it emerges all were affiliated with the Italian and Israeli secret services.

Police open criminal case over Odisha train disaster

Police in the Indian state of Odisha have registered a criminal case of “death by negligence” relating to the train collision last Friday that killed 275 people, as critics accused the government of trying to shift blame for the disaster.

Wave of violence hits north after mayoral elections

Sitting behind a bare black desk, in a small whitewashed room in northern Kosovo, village mayor Izmir Zeqiri is still getting used to the glare of international attention. \"It wasn't my intention to be a celebrity,\" he said as his mobile phone rang on repeat. \"We thought more people would run, and we didn't imagine we could win.\"

Kyiv accuses Russia of blowing up critical dam

The Ukrainian government accused Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River, as the evacuation began of people living downstream in the face of potentially catastrophic flooding.

Zelenskiy's troops attack in apparent precursor to new surge

Ukrainian troops went on the attack at multiple points along the front line in the Donetsk region on Monday, driving back Russian forces in at least two areas in what appeared to be the preliminary stages of Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive.

Danger zone : The Javari valley and its people are under threat Lula must take bold action

Among my people, the Marubo, knowledge is transmitted through oral history, passed down by elders throughout the centuries. For many generations these stories described the approach of people we call nawas– outsiders who always brought misfortune, usually in search of natural resources from the forests we inhabit.

800m trees felled Vast forest loss linked to cattle farming

More than 800m trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest in six years to feed the world's appetite for Brazilian beef, according to a new investigation, despite dire warnings about the forest's importance in fighting the climate crisis.

'We'll continue to fight'

A year on from the killings of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips in the Amazon, Indigenous activists are defending their land with new resolve

War has reminded us of the vital role of museums in society

The violence of war, and all its horror, has a clarifying effect on what really matters in every aspect of life

Has DeSantis got what it takes to beat Trump?

The Florida governor's Republican nomination campaign began with a Twitter fiasco-but experts warn against writing him off

Bitter brew Tea pickers highlight unfair practices

Big brands investigate claims of exploitation as economic crisis filters down to worsen plantation conditions

Prime time soap operas break TV's colour barrier

With their daily dose of melodrama, suspense, romance and tears, Brazil's wildly popular telenovelas have never shied away from bringing social commentary into viewers' living rooms

Abuse of footballer prompts reflection over racism

Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior was driven to tears by vitriolic chants- but what do people of colour face every day in Spain?

Running for the hills

Around the world, insect species are responding to the climate crisis by shifting their habitats northwards and upwards, but this could have potentially catastrophic results for our ecosystems

Opening a window on a new golden age for Naples

The man whose home is adorned with a mural of Diego Maradona says Napoli's Serie A title triumph symbolises the city's resurgence

Smoke signal

Amsterdam's red light area bans cannabis

Deadly toll Civilians pay price of fighting

Research by doctors' group and relatives' accounts shed light on suffering and casualties over several weeks of conflict

The children 'adopted' by Russians for financial gain

The stories told to Svitlana Popova's 15-year-old daughter, Alina, while she lived under Russian occupation in Ukraine's southern Kherson province, were designed to terrify her

Staying on

West caught between worry and hope after Erdoğan win

Lira plunges as Erdoğan takes win as mandate for divisive rule

The Turkish lira hit a new low on Monday after the election win of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a renewed sign of the economic troubles his country is expected to face in the third decade of his rule