Dilettante: Joining the X-odus
Is it time to leave Elon Musk’s online sewer?
Highlights
Alastair Campbell’s diary: The unstoppable Kamala Harris
Harris is making the most of this opportunity while Trump is, frankly, floundering
The cult that ate itself
This was supposed to be the year populism triumphed. But a push towards its most extreme followers could be fatal
Putin’s crumbling facade
Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk has exposed yet more flaws at the heart of Russia. Could the dictator’s regime now fall?
In this edition
Everyday philosophy: Could Elon Musk learn from Stonehenge?
In 5,000 years’ time, will people marvel at the accomplishments achieved today?
Dilettante: Joining the X-odus
Is it time to leave Elon Musk’s online sewer?
Germany’s grannies versus the fascists
Since 2017, Omas gegen Rechts (Grannies against the right) has grown into a national and international force
Carles Puigdemont, the politician who ran away from Spain
The former Catalan president vanished like the Scarlet Pimpernel, believing he had a duty to evade arrest
Giving the Olympics le Shrug
Parisians embraced the Games – but it was a different story in one corner of rural France
Art in a cold climate
The Nordic town of Bodo, the 2024 European Capital of Culture, has everything you could wish for
Could you beat Usain Bolt?
One in four Brits believe they could qualify for the 2028 Games if they started training today. It’s endearingly delusional
Shame in public life seems to have vanished
The government has demonstrated a conviction that dangerous behaviour has to have consequences
At last, the world finally sees how Ukraine can win
Zelensky’s forces have invaded Russian territory, a move that shifts the whole dynamic of the conflict. But the risks are huge
Germansplaining: Welcome to ‘Das Adele Dorf’
During the singer’s 10-night residency in Munich, she understood exactly what Germans need to hear
Farage’s finances become the talk of Westminster
The Reform leader’s entry in the register of MPs’ interests made for fascinating reading. But were items missing?
Lie of the Week: ‘Tim Walz signed a bill for all young men’s bathrooms to have to be equipped with a tampon selling machine’
Alastair Campbell’s diary: The unstoppable Kamala Harris
Harris is making the most of this opportunity while Trump is, frankly, floundering
More queues, right on cue
Delays for travellers to Europe are about to get much worse with the EU’s new entry/exit system
The cult that ate itself
This was supposed to be the year populism triumphed. But a push towards its most extreme followers could be fatal
Nic Aubury’s 4-line poem: Lee wants his country back
The rebirth of hope
The rise of Kamala Harris looked unstoppable heading into the Democratic convention. But the White House is still all to play for
Losing the power of speech
Foreign language teaching in Britain is on the decline, which risks making the country more cut-off and inward-looking than ever before
Mitch Benn’s poem of the week: What’s wrong with JD Vance?
The king is dead
The brilliant, troubling Alain Delon was at his most electric when doing nothing other than staring blankly back at us
Letters: A simple solution to dangerous social media
If you do not like a social media site, do not use it. If it is not used enough, it will eventually evaporate
Cartoon: Is it time to leave ‘X’?
Putin’s crumbling facade
Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk has exposed yet more flaws at the heart of Russia. Could the dictator’s regime now fall?
Critical Mass: The moral dilemmas of embryo models
The UK’s regulator, HFEA, is having to grapple with the scientific, ethical and even philosophical challenges associated with synthetic embryo research
The spy who loved Europe
The exotic world of James Bond was also that of his creator, Ian Fleming
Borders and bigotry in Europe’s far north
Hanna Pylväinen’s new novel is a haunting tale of love and conflict set in the Sápmi lands of northern Europe in the 19th century
The art of survival
Bombed, suppressed, destroyed… but the work of Ukrainian artists goes on
Josh Barrie on food: Hail the Caesar salad dressing
I freely admit my love of Pizza Express’ version of the powerful sauce, a bottle almost always in my fridge in salad season
Culture: Prequel’s not-very-coded message about Trump is terrifying
Our writers’ rundown of the pick of the week’s books, theatre and streaming
Bonnie Greer’s Vintage: Why Kamala Harris picked a coach
As cinema shows, the coach has a kind of sacred space in American life
Toots Thielemans: The unlikely virtuoso who made the harmonica sing
Few things in music sound more like the punchline to a joke than a millionaire mouth organist, but Thielemans forged a brilliantly idiosyncratic path
Making merry with placenames
In medieval times a ford over a stream would have been somewhere to play, and this is reflected in their names
Multicultural Man: On Keely Hodgkinson
The women’s 800m final causes our writer to pose some awkward questions around race