A suspected Russian spy has admitted having a four-year relationship with a British MP as well as a string of relationships with other foreign officials... more
We can still rely on the Lib-Dem conference for a sudden boost of loopy argument. The equalities minister Lynne Featherstone has just claimed that men make "terrible decisions" when they are left in charge and are thus to blame for the "mess the world is in"... more
Gary Oldman may be tipped for an Oscar for his performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but he says his co-star Colin Firth landed the "best line"... more
We all want our politicians to have a sense of humour - especially in these dark days - but surely the least we can expect is that they err on the right side of crassness and vulgarity... more
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is an effective celebration of Le Carré's artful story-telling, acted by one and all with a quiet panache that strikes home... more
Hooray. The Labour Party's problems have been solved. Ex-ITV boss Charles Allen is to conduct a management and commercial review into the party's structures... more
Children's author Philip Pullman, an advocate of tomorrow's World Book Night, tells Alison Roberts why he is such a vehement opponent of library cuts... more
Which books appealed most this year? Candia McWilliam’s memoir of blindness, Jonathan Franzen’s blockbuster and John le Carré’s latest thriller are among our favourites ...... more
You can leave London but it won’t get out of your system. Here two high-profile media personalities who have tried country living reveal why they still love life in the capital.... more
Our London election poll yesterday put the Tories grudgingly ahead. David Cameron has won minds but not enough hearts - that's where Boris comes in... more
Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan has enjoyed both literary and commercial success. So why is there suddenly an internet outpouring of bile against him?... more
On this day in 1989 the Berlin Wall was finally breached, ending the reign of East Germany’s feared security service. Here Anne McElvoy, who spent much of the Eighties in the city, recalls her encounters with the spooks... more
Football: As the West Ham boss prepares to face his old club and sign a new contract, his former captain reveals just what makes Gianfranco Zola tick
... more
The Man Booker judges have determined that Aravind Adiga's debut novel about the seamier side of Indian life is the best fiction of the year. How do they do that?... more
The booksellers are still looking forward to Christmas, if nobody else is. No fewer than 800 new titles were published yesterday, including most of the publishers’ best shots at the all-important present market... more
John le Carre has a new book out but it will win him no prizes: he disdains honours and forbids his novels from being put forward for the Booker Prize. And a good thing too, when so many fine novels have been overlooked for the award in its
40-year history... more
In a new book ex-Special Branch detective RON EVANS tells of his toughest job - protecting Salman Rushdie and the girl he was desperate to get into bed.... more
Robert De Niro's history of the CIA, The Good Shepherd, is not a film everyone will like. Those that do will appreciate his insistence on accurate detail, says Derek Malcolm.... more
Sound check: German industrial metal band Rammstein literally play with fire in their live performances - and now they are about to unleash their singeing spectacle on London. Watch out for your eyebrows
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