38 h. ago How to fight a fascist state – what I learned from a second world war briefing for secret agents | Zoe Williams

You can forget the advice on disguises, secret codes and spreading propaganda by dropping leaflets in train carriages. But there is something for us all here about the need for actionThe SOE Syllabus was a series of lectures given to prospective secret agents in Britain during the second world war. These “lessons in ungentlemanly warfare” were released from the top secret bit of the Public Record Office (now known as the National Archive) and published as a historical curio in 2001, when my esteemed colleague John Crace picked out the sillier bits in one of his Digested Read reviews. There was a whole lecture about how to craft a disguise, in which people with sticky-out ears were advised to use glue to pin them back.But now, 24 years later, I have picked up the book with a graver purpose – just on the off-chance that if we end up having to resist a fascist state, the past might have something to offer. They won’t know everything, these ungentlemanly gentlemen, being as they didn’t ...

Politics

43 h. ago Hamas issues worldwide 'call to arms' to fight Trump's plan to relocate two million Gazans

Netanyahu has said Israel is working towards a plan proposed by Trump to displace Gazans to other countries, which could include Egypt and Jordan.

Politics

3 d. ago Britain has been paying a high price for Uncle Sam’s craziness. It’s time to turn to Europe | Simon Tisdall | Simon Tisdall

In his final column, the Observer’s foreign affairs commentator says America under Trump is not the first time it has caused trouble for alliesAmerica spells trouble for Britain. That’s undoubtedly true in the age of Trump – but maybe it’s always been so. The White House’s undisguised contempt for loyal allies in the UK and Europe necessitates a robust reciprocal rethink. How healthy – and desirable – is this partnership? Has it caused more problems than it’s worth?Those, myself included, who throughout their professional lives have taken close transatlantic ties for granted, face some awkward questions. Is the US-UK “special relationship” an embarrassment, even a strategic liability? Today’s America is evidently not a trustworthy, disinterested friend. Was it ever? Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Family of tragic young mum in fight to fund treatments for rare cancer

Stephanie Thomson's family are fighting in her memory.

Economics

4 d. ago Bournemouth beach murderer touched himself as he asked prison officer how famous he was

Nasen Saadi, 21, has been jailed for a minimum of 39 years for the murder of Amie Gray and the attempted murder of Leanne Miles on Bournemouth beach in July this year

Events

4 d. ago Bournemouth beach killer touched himself while asking prison officer how famous he was

Nasen Saadi has been jailed for life the a minimum of 39 years for the brutal murder of Amie Gray and the attempted murder of Leanne Miles on Bournemouth beach

Events

4 d. ago ‘There’s a dangerous epidemic in boxing’: the tragic, cautionary tale of Paul Bamba

Paul Bamba was ambitious and loved by his friends and family. But his quest for success was built on dubious fights and a fatal disregard for his own healthAs 2023 drew to a close, Paul Bamba was a marginal club fighter with a record of five wins and three losses, compiled against mediocre opposition. Then his career changed in a very strange way. Bamba fought 14 times in 2024 and won all 14 of those fights by knockout. On 21 December 2024 he was credited with defeating Rogelio Medina Luna in a fight for the World Boxing Association ‘gold’ cruiserweight championship when Medina quit on his stool after the sixth round.Bamba was living his dream. But the dream appears to have been a fantasy built in significant measure on fixed fights. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago NATO scrambles to reassure Trump it can 'step up' after US defence chief berated 'European freeloading' in leaked text scandal

Mark Rutte, the Secretary General, told Donald Trump that 'now is not the time to go alone' and that 'Europe needs to know that Uncle Sam still has our back.'

Politics

6 d. ago Afghanistan women players fight to compete in World Cup qualifying after fleeing Taliban rule

Afghanistan’s women’s football team fled from their country after the Taliban takeover of 2021

Sport

1 week ago 'World War Three will be on us if we don't fight dictators like my hero mother did'

Violette Szabo was a crack British agent who fought against the Nazis before being captured and executed. Her daughter has issued a heartfelt message as war rages again in Europe

Events

1 week ago Jake Paul accepts Gerwyn Price boxing match with bold reply after 'one punch' fight jibe

Jake Paul has responded to Gerwyn Price's challenge of a boxing match by offering the darts star a blank cheque to fight him after the former world champion called him out

Sport

2 w. ago Olympic boxing gender row a result of Russian fake news, claims IOC chief

Thomas Bach criticises ‘fake news campaign from Russia’Two boxers competed in Paris under cloud of controversyA gender row involving two female boxers at the Paris 2024 Olympics was the result of a Russian fake news campaign and had little to do with reality, the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, said on Saturday. Bach, who is stepping down in June after 12 years in the biggest job in world sports, said the IOC had needed to fight off many similar campaigns before and after the Paris Games. The boxing competition in the Paris was run by the IOC after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance. But the IBA, run by the Russian businessman Umar Kremlev with close links to the Kremlin, accused the IOC during the Games of allowing two female athletes, who had been banned by the IBA following a chromosome test a year earlier, to compete. A bitter war of words ensued b...

Sport

2 w. ago Olympic boxing gender row a result of Russian fake news, says IOC chief

Thomas Bach criticises ‘fake news campaign from Russia’Two boxers under scrutiny won gold in Paris A gender row involving two female boxers at the Paris 2024 Olympics was the result of a Russian fake news campaign and had little to do with reality, the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, said on Saturday. Bach, who is stepping down in June after 12 years in the biggest job in world sports, said the IOC had needed to fight off many similar campaigns before and after the Paris Games. The boxing competition in the Paris was run by the IOC after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance. But the IBA, run by the Russian businessman Umar Kremlev with close links to the Kremlin, accused the IOC during the Games of allowing two female athletes, who had been banned by the IBA after a chromosome test a year earlier, to compete.A war of words ensued between the two organisa...

Sport

2 w. ago Senate Democrats signal they won’t pick a shutdown fight while DOGE has the reins

Analysis: Schumer says a shutdown isn’t worth the risk, but Democrats could face an equal risk by not showing a spine, John Bowden writes.

Politics

2 w. ago Boycott USA: Trump’s tariff trade war sparks international movement to reject Uncle Sam

Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ tariffs have encouraged some consumers to leave US goods on the shelf

Politics

2 w. ago Three teens arrested after prom dress sale results in body slams at a gas station

Surveillance footage in Georgia captured the moment the 18-year-old victim flipped one of the women to the ground in self-defense

Events

2 w. ago Saudis plan mega boxing fight at world's most famous prison 'Uncle Sam's Devil's Island'

After managing to move most of the biggest boxing bouts on the planet to Saudi Arabia, the new powerhouse on the scene is looking to take their product global with fights at iconic locations you might never expect

Events

3 w. ago Price rises to occasion with glory in historic night for women’s boxing

Natasha Jonas has had an admirable career but could not match the Olympic champion’s fire On a night steeped in history, Natasha Jonas could not roll back the years as she was outfought and outclassed by Lauren Price who dominated their world welterweight title unification fight to add the IBF and WBC belts to the WBA bauble she already owns. Price, in her fighting prime at the age of 30, is 10 years younger than Jonas and she was just too quick, fluid and powerful as all three judges awarded her the decision by comprehensive margins of 98-93, 100-90 and 98-92.Jonas has had an admirable career and she was the first woman to be named as British boxing’s fighter of the year in 2022. But, in the end, time ravages every fighter and Jonas could not match the fire of Price whose poise as an Olympic champion was also evident. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Price rises to occasion with glory on historic night for women’s boxing

Natasha Jonas has had an admirable career but could not match the Olympic champion’s fire On a night steeped in history, Natasha Jonas could not roll back the years as she was outfought and outclassed by Lauren Price who dominated their world welterweight title unification fight to add the IBF and WBC belts to the WBA bauble she already owns. Price, in her fighting prime at the age of 30, is 10 years younger than Jonas and she was just too quick, fluid and powerful as all three judges awarded her the decision by comprehensive margins of 98-93, 100-90 and 98-92.Jonas has had an admirable career and she was the first woman to be named as British boxing’s fighter of the year in 2022. But, in the end, time ravages every fighter and Jonas could not match the fire of Price whose poise as an Olympic champion was also evident. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Jonas vs Price: Fight time, undercard, latest odds, prediction, ring walks tonight

Unified welterweight world titles on the line in massive fight to headline all-women’s bill at Royal Albert Hall

Sport