The Observer

Kneecap: ‘Nobody actually thinks we’re terrorists. It’s a carnival of distraction’ After a tumultuous 2025 in which they were rarely out of the headlines, the Irish-language hip-hop trio @KNEECAPCEOL are back with a new ‘statement piece’ album, writes @msmirandasawyer bit.ly/4rNr5q7

'We’re known for talking about the craic and partying all the time. But there were a lot of eyes on us, and when you’re going through a literal witch-hunt, I think it’s important that you have a statement.' @KNEECAPCEOL speaks to @msmirandasawyer about returning to the studio after a year of headlines bit.ly/4rNr5q7

“From hearing Jim speak about it, that’s what he would have wanted, to make sure that people get to share that joy.” Billionaire Jim Irsay assembled an astonishing archive of artefacts – from Beatles memorabilia to Kerouac’s On the Road scroll. Xavier Greenwood reports that its future is now uncertain observer.co.uk/news/opinion-a…

Boxing is like a mating dance between two birds My first night ringside was full of surprises: sequins, tenderness, community, hugs. But the foreplay really caught me off-guard, says our columnist Marie Le Conte bit.ly/47TZPyT

Life after the Coldplay kiss cam The vilified female executive Kristin Cabot is a compelling guest, but Winfrey’s podcast is still flawed, writes @msmirandasawyer in her audio roundup bit.ly/4slTKn7

Mikel Arteta’s biggest achievement is making Arsenal whole again He has banished the rancour and moulded the Premier League in his team’s image. The Carabao Cup could be the start of a dynasty, writes @RorySmith bit.ly/3PnwAOU

'It’s not outrageous to think that by 2030, even a Booker prize judge may struggle to distinguish a literary novel penned by a human from one generated by AI' writes our head of investigations @AlexiMostrous Mostrous delves into the dangers - and advances - of AI literature bit.ly/4rK90ZU

Obituary: Len Deighton, novelist and cookery writer Celebrated author and Observer columnist who helped turn Michael Caine into a sex symbol, remembers @patrick_kidd bit.ly/4rFffhz

'I’m doing shows now that I would watch myself,' Aidan Turner tells @TimLewi5. 'Rivals is a show I’d watch. Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a play I’d go and see. These aren’t just roles I’ve found myself in because the offer came along.' The Irish actor talks his turn on the @NationalTheatre stage and how Poldark shaped his career bit.ly/41osCIc

London City Lionesses - a thoroughly modern football team @ObserverUK observer.co.uk/news/sport/art…

‘This was literature as gelignite’: writers on life-changing nonfiction by women Ahead of the @WomensPrize for nonfiction 2026 shortlist, we asked some of our favourite writers to share the books that shaped their writing lives bit.ly/4rF6AM5

How @NazShahBfd broke a legacy of violence When the Labour MP’s abusive father abandoned the family, he was replaced by an even more monstrous figure. What happened next led to murder, writes @Elif_Safak bit.ly/4rs4rmV

'Our core foundation is the language and the community that surrounds our reclaiming of this and being proud of it,' says @KNEECAPCEOL @msmirandasawyer speaks to the trio ahead of their new album Fenian about their political struggles and finding a mature sound bit.ly/4rNr5q7

‘I woke up and there was a centipede in my bed': Kirsten Campbell, our Rachel Cooke graphic short story prize winner Campbell tells @killianfox0 about the arthropod encounter that inspired her winning entry in this year’s competition with @FaberBooks bit.ly/4t0mp1c

Afcon chaos just latest blot on world football record – but the top flight is no better The powers that be trying to manipulate results should be a deep-fakery wake-up call for us all, writes @_PaulHayward bit.ly/4lFjpVk

'When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2023, I didn’t think I was going to enter the best period of my life.' Rachel Reid brought hockey to a new audience with the steamy #HeatedRivalry series, and talks slowing down for the third book in the series and the appeal of romance writing bit.ly/4bx4nMJ

In this Sunday's New Review, Kneecap: @msmirandasawyer shares a hangover cure with Keir Starmer's least favourite band Cover photograph by Julian Broad New Review photo editor: @cherylnewman1 Pick up a copy of @ObserverUK on Sunday, or read on our website

Aidan Turner is calling the shots The Irish actor played a hairy-chested heartthrob in Poldark and Rivals. Now he’s working his charm into roles far more devious, writes @TimLewi5 bit.ly/41osCIc

“The sexiness of #heatedrivalry and the books makes people have ideas about me. They’re not sure what to expect when they meet me … I’m just normal,” says Rachel Reid Barbara Ellen meets the writer of everyone's favourite steamy hockey series changing the fanbase and challenging stories of sexuality on screen bit.ly/4bx4nMJ

‘It would be easy to look at Irsay’s 25-year mission as an exercise in kleptomania.’ @XAMGreenwood watches billionaire Jim Irsay’s astonishing archive of artefacts – from Beatles memorabilia to Kerouac’s On the Road scroll – go to auction bit.ly/4uvIMgf