Of more than 700 players at the FIFA Women's World Cup, only one has South Asian heritage. This needs to change.

The days of being caned at school are long behind us. But one form of coercive, often painful, physical contact from teacher to pupil survives.

The victory of common sense and communal rights over Alexander Darwall deserves to be celebrated - but it needs to become a turning point, not just an exception. 

Bridgetown, where the British once forged the transatlantic slavery model, is making a bid to unify reparation struggles from Africa to the Caribbean and beyond - and to put the demand on the global political agenda. 

From a Nobel laureate to young journalists, Ukrainian women are documenting Russia's war crimes in exhaustive, exhausting detail - aiming to set a new bar for holding perpetrators accountable. 

In an extract from her new book the Labour campaigner and academic offers a look at society and the economy are structured, what really defines your life chances and how our current system keeps us locked into an ugly hierarchy.

The planet’s leading force in ‘novelty politics’ on his Uxbridge by-election triumph, on how he'd fix ULEZ, and on his plans for next year's mayoral, general and the US presidential elections. 

Both the protagonist and Christopher Nolan's art would have been better served by a miniseries - or by expanding one of this film's dazzling array of cinematic styles into a standalone film. 

After a video of a young London mother being handcuffed in front of her kid  went viral, police issued a statement trying to paint their victim as the villain. This ritual needs to stop. 

Greta Gerwig's latest box office smash doesn't provide a polemic on how to finally destabilise the scourge of misogyny once and for all. But that isn’t Barbie’s job.

From GB News and TalkTV to the Uxbridge byelection, a far-right climate populism is taking hold - with a clear agenda. 

The 18th Venice Architecture Biennale was derided by conservatives for not having enough buildings. But as climate change finally hits Europe head on, the Biennale offers glimpses of a green, non-colonial, riotously imaginative global future - and lets you experience it in real time. 

The pastor and campaigner was best known as the interviewee who helped Tammy Faye break the Evangelical stigma over HIV patients and gay people. But there was more to that interview than met the eye.

The bill that just passed its second reading is ostensibly aimed "only" at boycotts of Israel. But here in the U.S., anti-BDS bills are already being rapidly and effectively cloned to clamp down on boycotts of fossil fuels, firearms manufacturers, and more. 

People of colour are significantly likelier enter the mental health system through police or  sectioning - and even when in therapy, they face obstacles ranging from racist tropes to cultural misunderstandings. New treatment approaches are seeking to change that. 

We simply can't afford the liberal economic planning, geared exclusively towards maximising profits. But this doesn't mean going back to the top-down, technocratic, centralised planning of the past. 

Shared owners face a triple whammy: rising mortgage payments, rises in the rental charge on the portion of the property they don’t own, and ever-rising service charges. And worst of all? They virtually can't get out. 

We can't hope to compete with AI on speed and volume of technical tasks. But AI can never compete with us in the truly creative thinking - from music, to philosophy, to the kind of inspired science fiction that guides actual technological progress. As humans, this is our natural advantage, and it needs to be shored up. 

Even as some young Polish LGBTQ+ people settle in exile, others are pushing back against new homophobic legislation - and old prejudice. 

It's not uncommon for far-right spaces to use pornography to steer users to radicalising content. But a UK porn company has turned this process on its head. 

On the face of it,  a new category exclusively reserved for African music could end the drought of African winners. But this move is risky precisely because it is so exclusive - and so generic.

The new report is a welcome admission of what those of us who follow the game closely have known for years. The true test of the England and Wales Cricket Board will be action. 

The Titan was lost because a company allegedly cut corners hoping disaster would not strike. The Adriana sank off the Greek coast because European policies were crafted to ensure that it would. 

We need a broad, civic coalition of thinkers and activists to push other ways to fight inflation - like COIN in the US in the 1970's. 

How ‘Windrush Futurism’ is empowering the descendants of Caribbean migrants to shape new identities.

We speak to the armed Russian group staging attacks on Russia's military infrastructure - inside the country's borders. 

Voices across the political spectrum reacted with outrage to the sentencing of a mother-of-three to 28 months in prison for taking an abortion pill later than the legal timeline. But the far Right is mobilising to toughen up the laws further still. 

The Lead's Reading Room: An exclusive extract from Arun Kundnani's new book What Is Antiracism?

Abortion must be taken out of criminal law, legalised to the broadest possible extent, and placed where it belongs: healthcare. 

The sentencing of a woman to 28 months for taking an abortion pill after the legally mandated period highlights a problem: Abortion is still illegal by default. We need a new, straightforward abortion law that treats it as a healthcare issue - not a crime. 

The names on Johnson's list aren't public servants - they're enablers and accomplices. It is beyond preposterous that they should enjoy a lifetime reward for inflicting him on the country. Sign and share if you agree. 

As commercial DNA tests produce ever-more granular databases, descendants of slaves are being introduced to descendants of slaveholders. The implications for the reparation debate are vast. 

The 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Leslie Lokko, feels like a radical subversion of everything you might expect from the world's main architectural exhibition - deposited right into the heart of the artistic establishment.

The barely veiled eviction threat by Barking and Dagenham Council leader Darren Rodwell - a rising Labour politician - is not only cruel: it's bound to misfire. 

The latest revelations about the use of racial identification codes - including "negroid types" - are just the tip of the iceberg.

Are Artificial Intelligence execs more worried about the AI apocalypse - or about regulation?

From being paid in "exposure", to distinct ableism in the workplace, disabled writers who use their voices and lived experiences to educate, are being let down at every turn - here's how you can treat them fairly.

After years of sporadic and overbearing enforcement, South Wales Police needlessly divided a community before it even had time to realise it was grieving. 

Some of the worst things said at the National Conservative conference were pieces that link to a much larger story. Here's is your guide - and a suggestion on how to push back. 

94% of speech and language therapists are white, which means Black and ethnic minority patients are missing out on communicating cultural nuances that can be vital in treatment. 

Neo-Nazis, National Conservatives, Ron De Santis: everyone on the far Right is screaming about drag queens in libraries. But the high pitch belies a pragmatic calculation. 

It's easy to dismiss the National Conservatism's London conference last week as the farcical death throes of a mortally wounded party. But the Tories' forecasted defeat makes National Conservatism more dangerous, not less. 

A useful analytical tool has become a box-ticking exercise that places limits on our understanding of people’s lives.

In the high-pressure world of fine dining, organising for better conditions makes sense. So why is it lagging behind other sectors? 

Labour says it would take too much time to repeal the Tories' authoritarian Public Order Act. At the very best, that's nonsense.  

Since the coronation arrests, our membership almost doubled. We'll keep up the fight - not just for republicans, but for anyone who wants a functioning democracy in this country. 

Of all the pieces we publish, we didn't think the one to get the far right in a frenzy will be a story about hiking. But it taught us something about how tightly that ecosphere is linked.    

Landlords in London's artsy warehouse district are following the old playbook: rent out cheaply, let creative tenants liven up the place, then kick them out and cash in. But this time, residents are fighting back.  

Police threats to crack down on protests against the monarchy aren't about law and order- they're just demands for deference.

Black and Asian Britons are still asked whom they would cheer for at a cricket match: England or "where they're from". Now we risk facing the same with the oath - especially as Commonwealth countries begin to reject the monarchy. 

If the Crown falls, the UK falls – and then England itself, that traumatised, post-colonial land, will take centre stage for the first time since 1707. And nobody wants that.

Each royal event is a marketeer's opportunity. Here's our guide to some of the more WTF items vying for your pound.

Two million Brits just lost their right to vote. The new Voter ID laws are proving to be a complete disaster. Join our emergency campaign to repeal them before the next general election. 

Powerful, groundbreaking and nuanced, the acclaimed play enters the final week of it West End run. 

Cruel, racist, deeply dangerous - the bill MPs passed in the Commons is all that, but it poses a special risk to pregnant women and their unborn children. Still, the fight's not over. 

The Tories' reasons for changing how we vote don't add up - even if you try to take their excuses at face value. Here's everything you need to know. 

Hobbies like hill walking and wild swimming are too often seen as the preserve of white people. But a new generation is challenging the prejudices that stop diverse communities enjoying the great outdoors.

As cannabis users gather to celebrate 4/20, there is rising fear that corporate profiteering will destroy weed’s homegrown ethos. 

Tunisia’s president Kais Saied embraced a Western far-right conspiracy. Beatings, stabbings, rapes and deportations of Black Africans followed.

Prosecutors are breaking new ground by holding war crime trials - in real time. 

From the myths about Black people not feeling pain, to racist technology that discriminates against ethnic minorities, Dr Annabel Sowemimo's new book explores the urgent need to decolonise healthcare.

Inspired by the success of Starbucks United in the US, baristas in the UK are organising too - but fear corporate backlash is imminent. 

How Thatcher's chancellor made climate denial a Tory value.

Plant knowledge is on the decline: a study of UK students found only 14% could recognise more than three species of native plants. This is a serious problem. 

Residents in Urmston are locked in a bitter struggle with their management company. They are paying "extortionate fees", but have no idea where that money is going. 

After pushing his country to the brink of fratricidal conflict, Netanyahu feints a pause on his constitutional reform project. But none of the laws have been withdrawn, and when protests return, they'll be met by a new pro-government militia. 

Working in hospitality is traditionally seen as gruelling and transient - too precarious for staff to bother organising. But this is starting to change. 

Women seeking asylum in the UK to escape homophobic communities already face unique obstacles. Now, they might be sent to countries that are patently unsafe. 

As we approach the end of the tax year, consider this: a multi-millionaire like Sunak enjoys a lower overall tax rate than many of the people driven to strike action. 

Rivers full of plastic, beaches full of sewage, fens all but gone and half the native species already extinct. This isn't a dystopia, but today's reality - unless both major parties take on a new approach. 

Growing up in Germany, I was taught about the rise of Nazism. It’s vital to call out even the early symptoms.

I spent decades dodging the true-crime documentary that showcased my family’s trauma. Then, just as Netflix was set to revive it, came my chance to show what happens after the credits roll. 

A latex glove in one hand, a polishing cloth in another, the Chancellor tried putting a sheen on our worst downturn in centuries. It didn't take. 

The film that dominated at the Oscars touched a nerve with generations that spend much of their time in online 'non-spaces', flitting between multiple realities and timelines, yearning for an escape. 

Adult autism diagnoses are on the rise - and nightlife is finally catching up, offering more sensory options for neurodivergent adults.

We asked the Home Office if they have any performance indicators for the cruel policies implemented by Sunak and Braverman. They said they do not - and the general statistics they referred us to suggest that so far, their policies are having the opposite effect. 

I am Englishman, a Christian, a teacher, a patriot, an admiral of the fleet, a golfer, a hunter and a chartered accountant - and trust me: Rishi Sunak's inquiry into sex education doesn't go remotely far enough. 

Gary's suspension is a blow to free expression and democracy - and a huge own goal for the BBC. Tell Richard Sharp, the Tory-appointed chair of the Corporation, to  reinstate him forthwith. 

Making their return to the UK with five live dates, Kælan Mikla explore the darkness and myth of Iceland's rich history.

Panic and greed fuel spike in tenants being evicted under the infamous "Section 21" - but the stage for the crisis has been set by  bad policy decades old. 

Jail Time Records has just released its eclectic first album, made exclusively with incarcerated artists - a selection from more than 500 songs produced by the studio. We spoke with producer and co-founder Vidou-H.

In his new football novel 'Your Show', Ashley Hickson-Lovence explore’s Rennie’s legacy and the shocking lack of diversity in British refereeing.

A viral video showed a Black girl being attacked by white teens while adults did nothing. We spoke to students past and present who've experienced the same - and to teachers trying to make a difference.

You have access to far, far more land than you think you do - but finding that out takes sleuthing. From slavery records to ancient tree maps, here is how to find out who owns what - and where you come in. 

 We look at why self-appointed crusaders, white supremacists and ultra-misogynists drift to Romania and the Balkans, and what they actually find. 

The play uses verbatim accounts from the contentious trial that followed the racially-motivated murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

“Cyprus is an identity crisis”: On an island with a long history of colonisation and criminalised homosexuality, LGBTQ+ communities - in the UK and in Cyprus - are building connections that transcend the border between north and south.

Israel is teetering on the brink between an authoritarian overhaul to rival Orban's, a popular revolt and an economic implosion. What comes next - and where does it leave the Palestinians?

An extract from Virgins, the opening story in Danielle Evans’ frank and funny collection exploring the lives of African American teens struggling to find a place in their community. 

The East London singer-songwriter dives into the messy, turbulent world of modern love and dating on his delicate, humorous compilation, influenced by 90s slow jams. 

From the UK to the US, under 25's are unionising in droves, with 60% to 156% leaps in youth membership in some cases. What does it mean for the future of work - and for the ballot box? 

The jailing of Gary Youds, who ran a not-for-profit cannabis shop, lays bare the patchiness of our drug laws. 

There’s an old adage that profit is reward for innovation and risk-taking. That’s BS. Shell and BP are raking it in because we’ve let them own the market - environment be damned. 

In a world of Pornhub and dating apps, where desire is commodified and lucrative, tenderness can feel rare and subversive. Three artists explore it at the Liminal Gallery, Margate.