CATEGORIES

Flipping the narrative The Kursk attack has humiliated Putin and broken the stalemate

When video footage of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region began appearing on social media, a joke started doing the rounds with Vladimir Putin asking Stalin what he should do about the German tanks rolling towards Kursk.

Blame game Locals angry at army after Ukrainian incursion

Shock, disbelief and fury that the government downplayed the threat of an invasion and failed to keep its citizens safe

Zelenskiy's gamble

The Ukrainian president's hope that invading Russia's Kursk region would force Moscow to redeploy troops away from the eastern front was a risky move-and the outcome is far from clear

Maduro is unleashing 'campaign of terror', warns opposition

Venezuela's main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has accused its strongman president, Nicolás Maduro, of unleashing a horrific \"campaign of terror\" in an attempt to cling on to power.

Second act

He is one of the world's best actors but can still grab a coffee without being recognised. He opens up about cancer, happiness and his love of cinema

Elon Musk should face justice for his role in England's far-right riots

Of course, it's good that so many of those responsible for a week of far-right violence are facing a swift and severe form of justice - but there's one extremely rich and powerful suspect who should join them in the dock. If the UK authorities truly want to hold accountable all those who unleashed riots and pogroms in Britain, they need to go after Elon Musk.

Friendship

Research shows - as most women already knowthat the quality and number of our friendships has a profound influence on both our health and happiness. But what does it mean to be a good pal? From fictional relationships and literary diaries to her own experiences, Rachel Cooke examines the nature of the female bond

Engulfed by the tide

The Cornish resort of St Ives may be the picturebook seaside town but it is also the UK's most extreme example of overtourism. Through a desolate winter and crowded summer, artists, fishers, visitors and locals reveal a community in danger of losing its soul

In too deep? The growing threat to the global undersea cable network

Deep sea data cables are the veins of the modern world. What if something, or someone, were to sever them?

'Noah's ark' in peril as cargo ships size up new routes

Plans to bring shipping to the Paraguay River threaten the world's greatest tropical wetland anda way of life

'Euphoria' - Evacuees cheer Kyiv's incursion into Russia

Last Tuesday, Oksana and her family could not escape fast enough. Though they did not know it, Ukrainian regular forces had entered Russia for the first time, and Moscow's military wasted little time in hitting back, bombing their village around 11km from the border.

Hope returns to Dhaka but new leaders told to exile old politics

The relief was palpable in Dhaka. \"It feels good that finally we have educated people running our government,\" said Zahin Ferdous, a 19-year-old university student, referring to the new interim government led by the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Left out: An Israeli politician's fight for democracy

Former IDF officer Yair Golan is a hero for his bravery on 7 October. He now heads Israel's new progressive party, which wants a plan for the future

The horrific aftermath of a deadly school attack

Early last Saturday morning, Louay Nasser decided to perform the dawn prayer in the classroom he and his family are living in at Tabeen school in Gaza City, rather than go across the courtyard to the mosque. That decision may have saved his life.

Stray dogs and parasites threaten Darwin's paradise isles

At the dream destination for bucket listers and bird watchers, there are downsides to a dependency on tourism

Canal plus: New visitor controls get a mixed reception

On his first visit to Venice, Alejandro is unimpressed with the city's latest bid to control tourism by limiting group sizes and banning loudspeakers. The tour guide's group, just shy of the new maximum limit of 25, is trudging over a bridge towards St Mark's Square, seemingly more interested in taking selfies than the history lesson being delivered through their audio devices.

Harris and Walz 'bring the joy' - can the Democrat bounce last?

When Kamala Harris and the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, stepped onstage together for the first time last Tuesday, Philadelphia's Liacouras Center glittered red, white and blue as Beyoncé's Freedom blared and the crowd pulsed.

Wish you weren't here!

Selfie-seekers, antisocial behaviour and pressure on local housing has caused a backlash against mass tourism in some European hotspots. Can the wants of visitors be balanced with the needs of residents?

The wait is over! West End stages Godot again

Samuel Beckett's opus is back, starring Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati. Will its tragicomedy match our cultural moment?

Rise up!

Gabriela Rodriguez was fired from her job as a cleaner for eating a tuna sandwich. Now she and others like her are fighting back

THE ART RESCUERS

When Russia invaded, a historian in Kyiv saw that Ukraine's art heritage was in danger. So he set out to save as much of it as he could

Can Harris burnish her presidential hopes in the rust belt?

Of all the lessons Kamala Harris's campaign will have learned from Hillary Clinton's botched run for president eight years ago, among the most important is that it's better to talk about jobs than guns in the three rust belt states that hold the key to the White House.

Divine spark The school reviving endangered sacred arts

The small city of Nasarpur, in the province of Sindh in Pakistan, has a centuries-old reputation for its ceramics.

Women defy Taliban's strict beauty laws at secret salons

It is 9am in a suburb of Kabul when two women in powderpink burqas ring the doorbell of a drab building.

Gangs dig Amazon's newest 'black gold'

Illegal miners take advantage as demand soars for cassiterite, the tin ore that is vital to the green transition

The monk and a Hippo cleaning up plastic pollution

Desperate to restore the Chao Praya River, an abbot at a Bangkok temple began recycling-now he has an ally

Why has PM Sheikh Hasina fled the country suddenly?

After 15 years in power, Bangladesh's prime minister has suddenly resigned and fled the country.

'Like Orwell and Kafka' New office homes in on Fidesz critics

As leaders across Europe fume over Viktor Orbán's unsanctioned foreign policy adventures, the far-right Hungarian leader has intensified his campaign against independent voices at home, increasing pressure on media outlets and civil society groups that do not toe the government line.

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'