Coronavirus A second UK lockdown is likely – but will it work? Testing is just one part of a three-part problem – the ability to contact-trace and to isolate new cases is just as important. By Stephen Bush
The Staggers Why the Conservatives block a second Scottish referendum at their peril Any sense that Scotland is being denied the right to self-determination by English Tories will alienate voters. By Chris Deerin
North America Noam Chomsky: The world is at the most dangerous moment in human history The US professor warns that the climate crisis, the threat of nuclear war and rising authoritarianism mean the risk of human extinction has never been greater. By George Eaton
Postcards from Planet Covid The world has now had more than half a year to get used to the pandemic. As our contributors describe, an array of common experiences have been forged in very different societies. By New Statesman
Brexit Yanis Varoufakis's Diary: The Brexit saga, and defending refugees in Greece The nationalist cacophony that followed the fire at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos ignored the shocking reality of what had become an EU-sanctioned prison camp. By Yanis Varoufakis
Books The history of book burning A new study of the destruction of knowledge explores how societies depend on fragile archives. By Erica Wagner
Shakespeare in disrupted times “Shakespearean” as an adjective has had an unexpected currency in contemporary political journalism – but there are so many other dimensions to a “Shakespearean” sensibility. By Rowan Williams
Observations “We have moved into the age of irrationality”: Robert Harris on a world being driven apart The author and former Fleet Street political editor on Silicon Valley, Keir Starmer, and why politics has become a “grim comedy”. By Michael Prodger
Environment The two faces of Extinction Rebellion The movement’s stated ambition to “go beyond politics” sits uneasily with its pursuit of parliamentary legislation. By Lola Seaton
UK Why failure to secure an EU trade deal would leave the Union more unstable than ever For both the Conservatives and Labour, the risk of shunning a deal with Brussels involves the further risk of allowing another Scottish referendum. By Helen Thompson
The Staggers Why Scotland’s forgotten Brexiteers could still prove pivotal Nicola Sturgeon may have to separate the issue of EU membership from independence. By Chris Deerin
Politics Boris Johnson’s repellent style of government has angered even those close to him Dismay at the government’s contempt for the rule of law now spreads across parliamentary divides. By Simon Heffer
UK More than two-thirds of young Scots now back independence The shift in favour of the Scottish Yes side is now the most prolonged in polling history. By Ben Walker
UK What happened when Angela Rayner took on Boris Johnson at PMQs Labour’s deputy leader showed no nerves at her first PMQs but Boris Johnson denied her the fight she wanted. By Ailbhe Rea
The Staggers Downing Street has won over Tory MPs, but Lord Keen's resignation tells the real story Backbenchers in the Commons have been reassured by Downing Street's latest move, but the legal reality remains unchanged. By Stephen Bush
Film White Riot is an irreverent and thrilling Rock Against Racism doc The history of the RAR movement, from Eric Clapton's racist comments in 1976 to the 1978 Victoria Park concert. By Ryan Gilbey
Film “It’s just girls being girls”: inside Rocks, a new type of coming-of-age film Director Sarah Gavron, writers Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson, and actors Bukky Bakray and Kosar Ali on how they made a story of contemporary sisterhood. By Ellen Peirson-Hagger
Shakespeare in disrupted times “Shakespearean” as an adjective has had an unexpected currency in contemporary political journalism – but there are so many other dimensions to a “Shakespearean” sensibility. By Rowan Williams
TV & Radio Why I can’t stomach ITV’s Des The Dennis Nilsen drama is never tasteless or glib – but it's still entirely gratuitous. By Rachel Cooke
Books The history of book burning A new study of the destruction of knowledge explores how societies depend on fragile archives. By Erica Wagner
Kim Darroch and the art of the diplomat Collateral Damage – Darroch’s warm and witty memoir of his time as the British ambassador in Donald Trump’s Washington – is a study in diplomatic tradecraft. By Peter Ricketts
Social Media How the rich and famous stole OnlyFans from sex workers Sex workers brought tens of millions of people to the subscriber-only social network. Now they say it’s dumping them in favour of celebrities. By Sarah Manavis
Science & Tech The lesson of the antibiotics race: science must be ethical, not perverse The Nazis’ barbaric testing of suplhur drugs during the Second World War is a warning from history. By Michael Barrett
Security What facial recognition technology means Proponents of the surveillance technology often liken it to CCTV, but it is much more invasive. By Sanjana Varghese
Social Media Why Goodreads is bad for books After years of complaints from users, Goodreads' reign over the world of book talk might be coming to an end. By Sarah Manavis
Science & Tech The sale of Arm is a test case for silicon nationalism in the UK Dominic Cummings wants to create a British tech company that could rival the Silicon Valley giants. So why is the government turning downing the chance to rehome a firm that does just that? By Oscar Williams
The rise and fall of the immunity passport The government, with its £100bn “moonshot” testing programme, hopes Covid-19 certification can reopen society. By Oscar Williams
How the world is learning to live with Covid-19 Across continents, in every sort of society, the pandemic has exposed the weakest links. By Jeremy Cliffe
In the US capital, residents are bracing for a long, lonely Covid-19 winter Scientists predict that infections in Washington, DC, will increase as the weather cools and people take their gatherings indoors. By Emily Tamkin
Europe The struggle for a democratic Ukraine goes on, 20 years after my father's abduction The anti-corruption journalist Georgiy Gongadze was murdered two decades ago. Young Ukrainians must not give up his mission. By Salome Gongadze
In Delhi, the Covid panic is gone and people are worried about their daily chapati India’s lockdown wrecked the country’s economy and transformed life in its capital, a city of more than 20 million. Worst-hit are the casual workers who make up most of the labour force. By Patralekha Chatterjee
Beirut was already struggling with a migration crisis and Covid, but then the blast hit Six weeks on from a devastating explosion in Lebanon’s capital, coronavirus-prevention measures are low on residents’ priority lists – and cases are rising. By Lizzie Porter
Taken to Hart 11 July 1975: Students should not continue to be despised for doing no work when work is no longer thought a clever thing to do. By Auberon Waugh
Mr Eliot's poems 20 February 1926: Only those unfortunate persons who are incapable of reading poetry can resist TS Eliot’s rhythms. By I.A. Richards
Where are all the right-wing stand-ups? 16 April 2013: It’s hard to find a comedian who votes Tory. By Stewart Lee
The great football racket 26 November 1960: Practical suggestions to help the corrupt and failing game back on its feet. By JPW Mallalieu
What government in Japan? 1 September 1945: The day before the Second World War reached an official end, an unsigned editorial asked what lay ahead for the Allies and Japan. By New Statesman
HG Wells, the man I knew 17 August 1946: Fellow Fabian George Bernard Shaw marks the death of his friend Herbert George Wells. By George Bernard Shaw
