Features

A friend sends you a payment request for seven dollars and forty cents, his half of the sandwich you bought him yesterday. Nothing about this is wrong. He owes you seven dollars

In an age of stark ideological cleavages, Muslims are living through a battle of ideas over the meaning of religion in the modern world

The life of Diego Maradona epitomised the working-class soul of Argentinian football and mirrored the country he loved

We have become reluctant to accept death as an integral part of life. Perhaps coronavirus will give us a more realistic attitude to mortality

A peculiar organisation is peddling exotic conspiracy theories about Joe Biden’s electoral win — but the Larouchians have long attempted to bend reality

More and more jurisdictions are decriminalising drugs. The policy may appear radical but it is a pragmatic response to help the most vulnerable

The work of the great Jewish artist Helène Aylon, who died earlier this year, will help me in my seasonal contemplation of birth, death and resurrection

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has global significance, not least because of its powerful backers: Russia and Turkey

The French president’s grand international strategy is founded on one questionable premise: the coherence and solidity of the EU

Not everyone will find a haven in his work. But his magnificently eloquent body of work challenges us and repays the effort

Why do people with the best of intentions so often create the worst of outcomes? They come up against reality

Many countries want to imitate Australia’s success. But its values and governance are eccentric—and may not travel