8533, 8320, 8323, 8415, 8457, 8462, 8416, 8470 Why Germany’s 2021 election could be the most significant in decades The race to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor may look like a predictable affair, but there are five reasons why this election could be more volatile than it seems By Jeremy Cliffe
8268, 8332, 8320, 8323, 8415, 8457, 8462, 8416, 8468, 8470 How Belarus’s authoritarian creep reached the Olympics An alleged attempt to forcibly repatriate the Belarusian sprinter Krystina Timanovskaya suggests sport is still far from free of politics. By Ido Vock
8277, 8280 How Marvel conquered culture A Star Wars geek turned the debt-ridden comic studio into a cinematic juggernaut – and became the most powerful man in Hollywood in the process. By Ian Leslie
8533, 8415, 8457, 8462, 8416, 8470 Will Armin Laschet succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor? As Germany's leader prepares to step down, the past five years of polling show a country willing to consider political change. By Ben Walker
8415, 8457, 8459, 8461, 8416, 8468 Welcome to the rules-based disorder Why geopolitics no longer operates under a common set of rules. By Bruno Maçães
8268, 8320, 8324, 8415, 8457, 8459, 8416 The unravelling of Andrew Cuomo After a rapid ascent, the New York governor now stands accused of sexual harassment and understating the Covid death toll in state nursing homes. By Emily Tamkin
8300, 8362, 8493, 8496 Why scientists are leaving social media Can Twitter and Facebook ever be mature enough to see the difference between belief, opinion and evidence? By Louis Appleby
8528, 8268, 8275, 8300, 8455, 8415, 8456 Why Covid-19 conspiracy theories are flourishing Those drawn to Covid conspiracy theories are not necessarily stupid – they’re scared and desperate to feel in control. By James Bloodworth
8532, 8268, 8332, 8320, 8323, 8415 “We will ROC you”: the uneasy compromise of Russian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics Russia is technically banned from international sporting competitions after the state-sponsored doping scandal – but you wouldn’t know it. By Ido Vock
8527, 8268, 8445, 8415, 8457, 8466 How badly have deforestation and development hit the Amazon rainforest? Thousands of square miles of rainforest have been destroyed for the purposes of city expansion or to the benefit of the logging industry. By Ben Walker
8532, 8268, 8332 Rock climbing is not an inclusive sport – but its Olympic debut could change that With its restrictive dress codes and high equipment costs, climbing can be an off-putting sport for young women like me. By Hannah Zia
8532, 8268, 8332 The media’s fixation on Team GB has reduced the Olympics to a display of parochial nationalism The BBC – reflecting the priorities of its audience – has reimagined the greatest sporting pageant on Earth as Team GB vs Everyone Else. By Jonathan Liew
8519, 8521, 8300, 8302, 8415, 8493, 8495, 8496 How Google quietly funds Europe’s leading tech policy institutes The search giant has provided tens of millions of pounds of funding to academics investigating issues closely related to its business model.
8374, 8375 “UNESCO don’t know what they’re talking about.” Liverpool has reacted angrily to UNESCO’s decision to remove its heritage status. But what does it really mean for the city’s future?
8519, 8521 “We are at a tipping point”: the £1.7bn debt mountain facing high street retailers A report warns around a third of independent high street businesses will eventually default on the government’s Bounce Back loan scheme.
8300, 8455 Will the pandemic destroy toxic work culture? The pandemic has provided an opportunity to change the toxic work cultures of the past.
8519, 8522 Bitcoin's gold rush was always an illusion Millions of people have bought into the idea that cryptocurrencies could make them rich, fast. But these booms are fake, say economists, and they may now represent a systemic risk.
8519, 8520 Video interview – Natalie Campbell: Business “doesn't get it” on race and diversity The social entrepreneur and co-CEO of Belu Water on diversity in business and what Covid-19 means for the hospitality industry.
8268, 8274 Was there a way Brexit could have been stopped? David Lidington’s three hypotheticals The former Tory cabinet minister discusses the mistakes that were made in the lead up to the 2016 referendum. By Stephen Bush
8268, 8275 The public deserve an effective police force – if only the government would give it to them Boris Johnson’s “crime week” was heralded with great fanfare, but it masks a decade of cuts and underfunding to creaking criminal justice services. By Louise Perry
8268, 8296 Exclusive polling: Majority say NHS nurses and doctors are paid too little New polling also reveals voters feel nurses should receive more than a 3 per cent pay rise. By Anoosh Chakelian
8268, 8275, 8274 Why Rishi Sunak is fighting so hard to save summer holidays The Chancellor’s letter to Boris Johnson complaining about the travel rules reflects the anger in the party that restrictions aren’t easing fast enough. By Stephen Bush
8268, 8296, 8275, 8300, 8455 Can we be sure Covid-19 cases are falling? The latest data from Scotland gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic that the current wave has peaked. By Stuart Ritchie
8268, 8275 Why the “cladding classes” pose an electoral threat to the Conservatives Affluent professionals trapped in unsafe, unsellable homes could take revenge on the Tories at the ballot box. By Anoosh Chakelian
8268, 8366, 8277, 8305, 8279, 8300, 8362 The core message of Terry Pratchett’s books was that people should think for themselves By Marc Burrows
8277, 8280 How Marvel conquered culture A Star Wars geek turned the debt-ridden comic studio into a cinematic juggernaut – and became the most powerful man in Hollywood in the process. By Ian Leslie
8277, 8280 M Night Shyamalan's Old is all concept and no character Once the premise has been established, Shyamalan is at a loss for what to do with it, killing time and treading water. By Ryan Gilbey
8277, 8283 Steve McQueen’s docuseries Uprising is painful and uncompromising Like all good oral history, this series about the New Cross house fire and the Brixton riots doesn’t prettify, and nor does it censor. By Rachel Cooke
8277, 8279, 8415, 8422, 8475, 8423 The pain and shame of girlhood In a collection of eight essays, the writer Melissa Febos uses her own adolescence as a departure point for exploring the fraught process of becoming a woman. By Sophie McBain
8277, 8282, 8515, 8415, 8422, 8490 Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever details the darker side of fame On her second record, the millennial pop star addresses music industry pressures and the intense public scrutiny she has faced as a result of her success. By Ellen Peirson-Hagger
8519, 8521, 8300, 8302, 8415, 8493, 8495, 8496 How Google quietly funds Europe’s leading tech policy institutes The search giant has provided tens of millions of pounds of funding to academics investigating issues closely related to its business model. By Laurie Clarke and Katharine Swindells
8519, 8522, 8300, 8362, 8303 How "millennial money management" sells young people the illusion of financial control From money diaries to social media tips, finance content aimed at millennials is booming. But what’s the use of a money guide when you have no money at all? By Sarah Manavis
8268, 8275, 8300, 8302, 8415, 8493, 8495, 8496 Timothy Gowers: The man who changed Dominic Cummings’s mind on Covid-19 The Cambridge professor on how pure maths underpins the modern world. By Rachel Cunliffe
8268, 8300, 8362, 8415, 8493, 8496, 8457, 8462, 8416 Helle Thorning-Schmidt: “Social media has benefited the global conversation” The former Danish prime minister and co-chair of the Facebook Oversight Board on whether she can hold the social media giant to account. By Oscar Williams
8517, 8300, 8302, 8415, 8416, 8469 How much should we trust technology? We can't question every technology every time we use it – the price of eternal vigilance is mental exhaustion – but we must strive to be aware of our vulnerability. By C. Thi Nguyen
