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Xavier Greenwood • Thursday 19 June 2025 |
Death threats and abuse seem increasingly avoidable for any professional athlete in the spotlight, but the issue is particularly acute for women. How can Emma Raducanu focus on tennis when her stalker is trying to buy tickets to Wimbledon? How can Lauren James recover from a red card in a crucial match when her inbox is being filled with vitriol? Women, Jessica Hayden writes, are caught in a catch-22: "They could abandon their social media accounts to protect their wellbeing but then they cannot earn enough to play their sport and pay their bills." The solution, Jessica argues, is not to force them to shut their phones at the cost of brand deals that help them make a living, but to financially empower them. It is an essential piece. Click here to read more → |
"The enemy of nonsense" – George Orwell |
Why the Aids quilt is a stitch in time
Last week, the UK Aids Memorial Quilt was unfurled across the floor of the Turbine Hall in the Tate. Made up of hundreds of panels, each dedicated to someone who died of Aids in the UK, it is a beautiful and moving tribute to lives cut short. It is also a time machine. Eva Wiseman steps into it, remembering a weekend in 1990 when she questioned all her assumptions about the experience of people living with HIV. "There's something to be said for the sitting down," Eva writes, "for the lessons and the language when teaching children about humanity, empathy, death and how to live. But far more effective, in my experience, is showing them." The quilt, even decades after it was stitched together, acts as a timely reminder of this.
Read the full piece here → |
Israel's other war by Donald Macintyre and Xavier Greenwood
Airstrikes on Kyiv. Escalation in Sudan. Hopes of peace between the DR Congo and Rwanda. Just because the world's attention is on Israel and Iran doesn't mean other wars have gone away – not least in Gaza. More than 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed at food distribution points in recent weeks, and 53 Israelis remain in captivity. Donald Macintyre and Xavier Greenwood analyse how the conflict with Iran has consumed bandwidth both inside and outside of Israel, allowing Netanyahu to continue his other military offensive. This piece is part of The Sensemaker. It features calm and clear analysis on what's driving the news across tech, geopolitics, finance and culture. In today's edition, we look at Silicon Valley recruitment wars, the election of a lawyer who defended El Chapo, and how a famous cheerleading squad won a bumper pay rise. To get the full newsletter sent to your inbox every morning, sign up here. |
The original book influencers by Catherine Taylor The book club, in some way, feels like a fairly modern invention. It's associated with Oprah, Richard & Judy, BookTok and the group of Californians who spent 28 years reading Finnegans Wake. But it actually began a hundred years ago with The Book Society, and Nicola Wilson's Recommended! takes us through this quiet revolution. Catherine Taylor calls it a "fascinating, gossipy and well-researched slice of publishing history".
Read the full review here → |
Dining at Wiltons by Sheila Hancock
The actress and Olivier award winner Sheila Hancock is this week's restaurant critic, taking a trip to Wiltons in the West End. The storied establishment, Sheila writes, doesn't just offer a delicious feast but "a journey into a world in which I don't really belong". She imagines herself as an aristocrat for the day and tucks into langoustines, roast pork and apple crumble.
Click here to read more → |
The News Meeting What happens if the regime falls?Could the latest developments in Iran and Israel end the Cold War of the Middle East? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Jess Winch, NPR's Lauren Frayer and the co-host of Good Bad Billionaire Zing Tsjeng.
Click here to listen → |
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Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow. Xavier Greenwood Senior editor The Observer
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