Campaigners pushing to remove Stroud’s 240-year-old figure are accused of trying to erase history by the local Tory MPMuch of Dan Guthrie’s life has been haunted by a disturbing mechanised figure resembling a tethered black slave boy, which is supposed…
Afghanistan will be seen as Joe Biden’s defeat. And it may come back to haunt him
The American public will not be in a forgiving mood if al-Qaida rises again following US withdrawal and the Taliban advanceWhat will it take for Joe Biden to admit he is disastrously wrong about Afghanistan? The US leader struck a defiant pose last wee…
The Reckoning by Mary L Trump review – how to heal America’s trauma
A revealing blend of family lore, history, policy and anger casts light on the background and legacy of Donald TrumpLast year, Mary Trump delivered a salacious and venomous takedown of her uncle, Donald J Trump. Too Much and Never Enough doubled as awe…
The Observer view on the fall of Afghanistan | Observer editorial
The Taliban’s rapid advance is chilling but a united response can still avert catastropheThe fall of Afghanistan to fundamentalist Taliban forces is a disaster foretold. Although the capital, Kabul, remains in government hands, the scale and speed of t…
Afghanistan: US begins Kabul embassy evacuation as Taliban close in – live updates
US officials say diplomats are leaving Kabul embassy now, as Afghan officials say Jalalabad governor has surrendered to Taliban Report: last major Afghan city in the north falls to the Taliban 6.31am BST New York Times reporter Fahim Abed in Kabul: Bei…
New Covid variants ‘will set us back a year’, experts warn UK government
Vaccine-beating variant is ‘realistic possibility’, say scientists, amid calls for contingency plans to be revealedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters are being pressed to reveal what contingency plans are in place to …
Ivory Coast confirms first Ebola case since 1994
Woman, 18, is in intensive care in Abidjan as emergency plan to identify her contacts beginsIvory Coast has recorded a case of Ebola, its health minister has said, the first occurrence of the deadly disease in the country in nearly three decades.Offici…
UK can’t fight climate crisis with austerity, warns expert
Author of government study says Treasury resistance to green spending programmes could halt progress to net zero Imposing “premature austerity” again will undermine the fight against climate change and stop poorer households going green, one of the wor…
‘A way to be heard’: the New Zealand Pasifika youth subculture devoted to emergency sirens
Siren kings battle their way through several carefully judged rounds to establish who has the loudest, clearest sound On the streets of south Auckland, Pasifika youth equipped with plastic siren cones have created a new sound – one that stormed TikTok…
Poland’s president signs bill to curb claims on property seized by Nazis
Move to limit Jewish people’s opportunity to seek restitution sparks furious response from IsraelPoland’s president has decided to sign a bill that would set limits on the ability of Jews to recover property seized by Nazi German occupiers and retained…