World
Europe
British teenager’s disappearance spurs speculation and sleuthing
Even as Spanish authorities called off their search for Jay Slater, online sleuths continued with conspiracies and other theories spreading across the internet.
- by Isabella Kwai and Claire Moses
Latest
Analysis
UK election
So long UK Conservatives, and thanks for all the memes
The tumultuous Thatcher years were memorialised in song and literature, but this current generation of Tories are probably best forgotten.
- by Rob Harris
Keir Starmer was moments from quitting. Now he’s hours from being Britain’s next PM
Barring an almighty upset, Starmer will become prime minister on Friday, his Labour Party ousting the Conservatives after 14 years. It is no mean feat.
- by Rob Harris
‘Tell us now’: Zelensky demands Trump say now what his peace plan is for Ukraine
“We want to understand whether in November we will have the powerful support of the US, or will be all alone,” Zelensky said.
- by Annmarie Hordern and Daryna Krasnolutska
Updated
UK politics
‘A new chapter’: Labour forecast for record-breaking win as polls open in UK election
Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper has endorsed the opposition Labour Party rather than Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
- by Rob Harris
French ‘Excalibur’ mysteriously disappears after 1300 years stuck in a rock
Durandal was claimed to be the sword of Roland, a legendary knight and officer of Charlemagne. It was lodged in stone 10 metres above the ground.
- by Henry Samuel
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Why I left comfortable Melbourne and went into a war zone
A Ukraine local staying put despite the bombing told me, “I want to live my life so as not to be ashamed of myself to my ancestors in heaven when I die.” His words sum up why I went to Ukraine and did what I did.
- by James Baillieu
Opinion
Racism
I was heading off to study abroad, but now my phone is alive with alerts
I can’t help but envy the Anglo-Saxon students in my cohort going on exchange. For them, travel warnings take the form of earthquakes or avalanches.
- by Satara Uthayakumaran
JK Rowling, David Tennant clash over gender issues in UK election
The stoush between the entertainers comes amid a now-familiar political debate on transgender policy, with the issue becoming a key battleground in the UK election.
- by Rob Harris
Opinion
UK election
Fool Britannia: Brits hoping for a return to the Blair-era glory days are dreaming
Where Tony Blair arrived at a point of hope, Keir Starmer enters at a point of despair. The excitement and pride of 1997 have given way to deep cynicism and Brexit division.
- by Gary Nunn
How to escape from the Russian army
The Russian army is taking in foreigners to fight its war in Ukraine. Many of them had no idea they were destined for the front line.
- by Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman