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Kew Gardens’ blooming big crisis

An Ł80 million backlog of repairs and maintenance work threatens the architectural gems at one of London’s best loved attractions. Could part of the Royal Botanical Gardens have to close? Comments

Hollywood's sweetheart: Olivia de Havilland

As Melanie in Gone With the Wind, the world fell in love with Olivia de Havilland. And Olivia's own life has been as tumultuous as her character's. Hermione Eyre meets the queen of the silver screen Comments

Lifting the veil on life in a 21st-century monastery

We unravel one of London’s best-kept secrets — a Carmelite monastery in the middle of a North Kensington square. Comments

How Mike Platt and Joe La Placa took over the contemporary art world

An unlikely partnership between a New York graffiti art gallerist and a Preston-born hedge funder has electrified the contemporary art market Comments

Exploring the other Istanbul

Adrian Mourby takes a trip to the Asian side of this year’s European Capital of Culture Comments

My London: Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl hightails to Kensal Green Cemetery

Spice world

Snorkel with dolphins, rub noses with monkeys and visit coral houses in Zanzibar

Property area guide: spotlight on Hampstead

Hampstead’s winning combination of heath, village and ponds just a few Tube stops away from the centre of town inspires loyalty in its residents and a strong community.

More on H&P this week

The richest Super Tuscans

They come not from the central hills but from Bolgheri, on the slopes rising from the coastal plain south of Livorno Comments

Sky’s the limit of Kensington Roof Gardens

Worlds above the city like Kensington Roof Gardens help wildlife and stop pollution, says Rosie Boycott Comments

Bank on the Balearics

As new weekend routes are launched to Ibiza and Mallorca, Jo Fernández looks at what’s new on these ever-popular islands Comments

Take a bite out of the Big Apple

Lindsay Johns takes a culinary tour of New York’s latest hotel restaurants Comments

Imran Khan: Why I believe America created the Pakistan Taliban

Imran Khan is more than just a cricketing ladykiller who was married to Goldsmith heiress Jemima Khan. He now dedicates his life to politics and is passionate about Pakistan and the war on terror — so isn’t it time people took him seriously? Comments

Wake up to thrills in Rudeville

There’s still time for a late ski trip to Morzine, especially with its funky chalets, found Matt Barr Comments

Berlin: the city that refuses to ever stand still

Through a lively contemporary arts scene and world-class museums, Nick Curtis rings the changes in a city he knew well 25 years ago Comments

Make-up bag of the future

In Maybelline’s New York lab, scientists are hard at work on products we’ll be buying five years from now. Bella Blissett gets a preview. Comments

House of artistry: Lord Frederic Leighton’s home open to public

After a Ł1.6 million refurbishment, Lord Frederic Leighton’s bizarre home and studio in Holland Park is ready to reopen to the public. Kieran Long has the first look Comments

Kate Winslet, Sam Mendes, that film ... and a high-stakes break-up

They were thought of as Hollywood’s golden couple, the British pair who seemed to have the happiest of marriages. And no one is rejoicing that Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes have come to the end of the road Comments

Kate Winslet splits from husband Sam Mendes

What is your biggest turn-off?

If you were desperate to stay celibate there would no doubt be a number of good ways not to attract the opposite sex. Comments

Nice threads: rap artists turned fashion designers

American rapper Pharrell’s Ł250 hoodies are top sellers at Harvey Nicks and London’s home grown rap artists are launching their own ranges amid massive demand Comments

Secrets of an UrbEx mission

Richard Godwin goes Urban Exploring on a dawn raid to a decaying lunatic asylum, photographed by an inspirational schoolboy from Crouch End. Comments

The cocktails that look like canapes

Knocking back pre-dinner drinks in liquid form is now so very uncool. Those in the know prefer the intoxicating option of eating their alcohol. Comments

Armando Iannucci: The King of Spin

Master satirist Armando Iannucci's take on British politics earned him an Oscar nomination. But, unlike his creation Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, he's unsure, underconfident and suffers from a bad case of imposter syndrome Comments

Selling success: the art of self-promotion

The path to promotion passes through the office of a ferocious young etiquette expert who ritually humiliates her clients before transforming them into boardroom lions Comments

Head to Barbados - beyond those beaches

Once a hideaway for the elite, this Caribbean island has a new wave of hotels and a thriving restaurant scene, says Kate Simon Comments

Fantasy island: Dubai's aquatic oasis

Dubai’s economy may be in trouble but Sol Kerzner’s Atlantis, the Palm is a lavish reminder of the Emirate’s excesses, says Jo Fernández Comments

Remote access of the Inner Hebrides

Island hopping in the windswept southern Inner Hebrides is the perfect escape - just don’t rely on having great weather, says Louise Jury Comments

The truth is a prostate cancer test can save our lives

When his father and uncle were diagnosed with prostate cancer, Lindsay Johns finally realised why we must confront this silent killer. Comments

Feel good factor: Jo Malone Kohdo Night Treatment

Every spring, Jo Malone launches its limited edition Kohdo collection in stores. Comments

Why sleep is such a winner

One of the commonest reasons for consulting GPs is the complaint of “feeling tired all the time”. Comments

In the land of the Kings at Rajasthan

Rajasthan was once the playground of the Maharajahs — now travellers can experience this luxury in new tented camps and hotels, as Teresa Levonian Cole discovered. Comments