CATEGORIES

The shapeshifter

Giorgia Meloni been called a neo-fascist and a danger to Italy. But she worked hard to achieve a degree of respectability and has won over many heads of Europe, including the new UK prime minister. Should we be worried?

Swing time The county that could decide the election

A local law says that residents of Saginaw Township in Michigan cannot publicly display political signs in support of a presidential candidate until 30 days before the US election, even on their own front lawns.

Football-mad nation hopes for World Cup final in its own ark

The rendering is dramatic, a vast white stadium inspired by the Maghrebi communal tent, known as a moussem.

Balkans become a path to freedom

Asmall but growing number of people fleeing China are travelling to the region with the hope of getting into the EU

Autocratic bloc FPÖ victory continues far right's advance across Europe

It had been expected for months - the party had been leading the polls since 2022.

Calls for No 10 shake-up to end rows over freebies and fallouts

Cabinet ministers are demanding a rapid shake-up of Keir Starmer's Downing Street operation, which they say has failed to spot obvious political banana skins, indulged post-election infighting and been unable to promote a sufficiently positive story of Labour's mission in government.

'In El Fasher you only face death' Civilians flee besieged city

Aisha had wanted to stay with her husband when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) laid siege to the Sudanese city of El Fasher earlier this year.

'Marriage competition" that gripped and divided a nation

On a hot June day in Juba, groups of young people sang as they weaved through the slow-moving traffic of South Sudan's capital, the boys carried long sticks while the girls wore colourful beads, skirts and lawas, a long piece of cloth tied on the shoulder.

A destabilising force In Gaza and Lebanon, there is no excuse for Israel's actions

A common defence of Israel's belligerence, within the Palestinian territories and in the wider region, is that it must act this way because it is surrounded by countries that are trying to annihilate it.

A YEAR OF CRISIS

It began with the Hamas attack on 7 October, it continues with a rain of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, but for many caught up in the conflict, it has shattered time and space

Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma

The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.

Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom

SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.

'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler

Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses

Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute

Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.

'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading

After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"

Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato

I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.

Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?

Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US

Going underground

A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate

All work and no play

Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies

What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege

It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.

The day my brother fell to Earth

In 2001, a young man's body was foundina London car park. Police thought he had tried to enter the UK by hiding inaplane’s landing gear. Reporter Esther Addley traced his tragic story. Two decades later, the man’s brother emailed, asking to meet her

Too close to call Harris leads the polls-but it's still on a knife-edge

Analysis of 2024 polling and previous elections involving Donald Trump suggests race could go either way

The write stuff How human scribes are fuelling AI

20,000 people work full-time to train’ models like ChatGPT. Here, a data annotator spills the beans on hisjob

'It's a human disaster' Towns on frontline of tragic Channel deaths

Security around Calais has led to dinghies launching farther along the coast-and taking bigger risks at sea

IDF holds selfinvestigation after shooting of US activist

US officials last weekend insisted that a ceasefire in Gaza is close even as fighting raged unabated in the blockaded Palestinian territory and violence spirals in the occupied West Bank, where witnesses said an AmericanTurkish dual national was killed by Israeli forces last Friday.

Inside the Russian town where Kyiv is now in charge

One recent morning, historian Yevhen Murza and comedian Feliks Redka, both from the city of Sumy in eastern Ukraine, hitched a lift into Ukrainian-occupied Russia.

Police under pressure in wake of inquiry into Grenfell fire

Police are under pressure to accelerate the criminal investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire after an excoriating report found companies operated with \"systematic dishonesty\" and that all 72 deaths were avoidable.

Hard choices Merz is likely to be the next chancellor -but can he defuse the AfD?

Friedrich Merz, Germany's mercurial conservative opposition chief and a passionate hobby pilot, should be flying high these days as the country's hotly tipped next leader.

The great divide

The rise of the hard-right AfD in recent state elections has caused panic in Germany, but is it premature? James Hawes argues that deep historical and cultural divisions between east and west will serve to protect the country from the spread of populism

When it comes to a good savoury crumble it's all down to the detail

\"Savoury crumbles are a really good idea, so I don't get why we don't make them more often,\" says Esther Clark, who writes The Good Home Cook Substack. As Clark notes: \"Crumbles are incredibly forgiving: they go into one tin, there's barely any washing-up, and they freeze well, making them a good weeknight number.\"