Europe has made itself vulnerable by outsourcing its security
The continent is paying countries on its fringes, democratic and otherwise, to shield its core from all the chaos.
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My role in the BBC’s Hamas controversy
Also this week: Margaret Thatcher’s candour and the loss of a wise friend.
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Donna Ockenden: “Mothers were blamed for their own deaths”
The senior midwife on the UK’s failing maternity services.
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Cutting through the fog of war
In an age of fake news, wartime leaders understand that they now have to fight against disinformation and conspiracies too.
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How the Barclay brothers built and wrecked an empire
The twins accrued hotels, newspapers and a fortress on their own island – then their fortune vanished.
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Sahra Wagenknecht’s new left-populist party should be taken seriously
This is not a bunch of Trots but a well-prepared team with a clear agenda.
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How the centre right was lost
Shattered by Brexit, the Tory party has been captured by populist disrupters. Can true conservatives win it back?
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Was Israel wrong to trust Qatar?
Doha hosts Hamas as part of a cynical geopolitical game.
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Inside the mind of Hilary Mantel
The novelist’s collected non-fiction reveals her extraordinary range, depth and independence of thought.
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Italo Calvino’s imaginary worlds
The Italian writer, born 100 years ago, first sought to reflect political reality – and then to redefine it.
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Don Quixote brought to life
Carlos Acosta’s playful and fiery take on the 1869 ballet is a joyful marriage of movement and music.
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John le Carré, the great deceiver
The duplicity that defined his spy novels also enabled his relentless pursuit of sexual pleasure.
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The Israel-Hamas war has left Britain divided
Politicians in the UK are nervous to speak about the conflict – but if ever there was a time for…
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Letter from Israel: “Bodies are piling up on three fronts”
I was among the first journalists allowed into Kfar Azza, one of the kibbutz communities that suffered the worst massacres.
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Letter from Gaza: “What we have witnessed has never been seen before”
I have seen children writing their names on the palms of their hands. When they die, they want people to…
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“Long Corbyn” is shaping Labour’s judgements on the Middle East
Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.
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Why I always do business over breakfast
Also this week: the blue suit brigade, conference karaoke.
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Inside Israel’s intelligence fiasco
Security failures allowed Hamas to launch its catastrophic attack on 7 October. Can the Israeli leadership overcome its fatal complacency?
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The darkness of the secret world: Mick Herron and John Gray in conversation
The bestselling author of the Slough House series and the philosopher discuss spy thrillers, the allure of the Cold War…
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The NS Poem: Ah well…
A previously unpublished poem by Laurie Lee.
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