New York Times cartoon ban leads to a world where we say nothing at all

In a world where political cartoonists are routinely jailed, the paper should show more courage

Are only certain kinds of people deemed worthy of our compassion?

Too many are facing prison for providing aid to those of the ‘wrong’ skin colour

Fake news will thrive as long we are happy to see only what we want to see

Two very different cases reveal the grave risks of misreporting and misinterpretation

Democracy is the victim if the law starts to police politics

The electorate should judge Boris Johnson’s Brexit bus claims, not the judiciary

Forget culture wars. Class is still the defining force shaping British lives

John Cleese bemoans a changing country, but the facts of life in the UK remain the same

Men don’t have abortions. That’s no reason not to fight for women’s rights

Traditionally feminist arenas of campaigning for social equality are everyone’s concern

The $2m drug reveals medical research as a casino culture

Does Zolgensma, a revolutionary one-off treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, really need to cost so much?

As surveillance culture grows, can we even hope to escape its reach?

The world over, the actions of citizens are being monitored on an unprecedented scale

The Brexit party reflects our hollowed-out, tired politics

Its success reveals how Labour and the Tories have failed voters

We thrive on provocation. But are we too quick to punish those who stray?

The rush to punish the DJ for his asinine tweet was swift and offered no hope for redemption

Who needs poetry? We all do – and we need it now

In an age in which we flee from ambiguity and complexity, poetry gives us permission to wonder

Big pharma can only see the benefit of R&D for wealthy markets

There is too little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to work on treatments for diseases of low-income countries

Caster Semenya is a victim of rules that are confusing and unfair

Debate over the runner has been fierce. An even fiercer one awaits about transgender athletes

Roger Scruton should be confronted, not misrepresented

The row over the philosopher’s comments in an interview highlights the importance of ethics in political journalism

Talk of integration is a sideshow in a society where many feel unheard

Migrants are the least of our problems in a disenfranchised and atomised country

From David Lammy to Roger Scruton, we rush to damn our opponents

Robust debate is evidence of a healthy society. Tiresome name-calling less so

The revival of pigs’ brains inspires hopes – and fears

Scientists at Yale may not have found an answer to eternal life but they have advanced the frontiers of neuroscience

A points-based system doesn’t end naked prejudice against migrants

Australia’s approach to immigration, seen as a model for future UK policy, is fatally flawed

Who polices the cultural appropriation gatekeepers?

Indigenous musicians in Canada are at one another’s throats over the Cree artist Cikwes’s use of a traditional Inuit singing technique

If identity politics is a force for good, how does white nationalism fit in?

The term was once used in the battle against oppression. Not after Christchurch

We can cry for Alan Kurdi, but living migrants get no pity

‘Offshoring’ was Australia’s uncaring answer to human misery. Now it’s the EU’s hidden scandal

Stop looking for the ‘Gotcha!’ moment in public debate

A Tory MP finds herself at the centre of an antisemitism row after using the term ‘cultural Marxism’

Europe’s efforts to curb the internet giants only make them stronger

New legislation on copyright will hurt small users and boost tech titans’ influence

Silencing Islamophobes is as futile a response as banning the Qur’an

Much of the reaction to Christchurch has wrongly sought to censor far-right hatred

We scoffed at Grayling’s ‘ferries’ but his way is now a public service norm

Interserve’s collapse reveals the dangers of a shadow state apparatus run solely for profit

Do not let raw anger cloud our judgment after Christchurch

It is depressing to see how discussion of the shooting has already descended into name-calling

Human rights mean nothing unless we defend real, threatened people

These hard-won and fragile privileges can be too easily taken away from us all

There is never a reason for bigotry at the school gates

When parents force a school to cancel lessons on diversity the social contract has broken down

Stop making free with our sensitive personal data

Many police and local authorities are using Amazon-style ‘predictive algorithms’ to intervene in people’s lives

The Satanic Verses is still creating monsters, even new book-burners

Einstein got it – philosophy and science do go hand in hand

Shame on those scientists who are unwilling to embrace the importance of philosophers

Antisemites use the language of anti-Zionism. The two are distinct

Racism against Jews is surging. But disgust should not silence all critics of Zionism

The possibility of redemption is central to a humane society

Whatever her actions are found to be, Britain cannot wash its hands of Shamima Begum

Abortion is legal, so why did the BBC fail to give advice?

The broadcaster did viewers a disservice in refusing to offer information over a Call the Midwife plotline

Think you are British? Not if the Home Office says you’re not

Stories of some of those due to be sent to Jamaica last week dispel myth that immigrants who integrate are welcome

Since when was it a police job to impose sanctions on drill musicians?

Artists are effectively being criminalised even though no offence has been committed

‘Bullshit’, not lies, is the corrosive influence blighting our public life

Endless bluffing reveals a shallowness in our political and media discourse

Demography is not destiny. Politics should be about winning minds

A study shows Britain is now majority Remain. But reliance on data is not a motor for change

Here’s me and the Mona Lisa. Who says that art and selfies can’t mix?

It’s snobbish to assume that ‘ordinary’ people will only be enticed into galleries by gimmicks

Fire people for their beliefs and we might all be out of a job

John Finnis’s views may be odious, but removing the Oxford law professor will only encourage further discrimination

A divided Britain is not new. So why do today’s schisms seem intractable?

Once, divisions were more clearly embedded in politics. Now they can appear arbitrary

Power politics always drives space conquest. China’s coup is no different

Landing a spacecraft on the far side of the moon is a fine achievement – and propaganda win

Posh is so passé – today’s elite prefers the myth of the meritocracy

Education, not your background, is now the main marker of social difference

Open a cookery book to find the recipe for how cultures blend

The best writers are not just cooks but anthropologists who remind us that cultures are forever borrowing and colliding

It was anxieties over money that finally did for José Mourinho

Manchester United’s money men put in the boot when their manager’s number was up. Politicians might like to do the same

The new immigration proposals are economic and political nonsense

The home secretary’s plans will be bad both for Britain’s finances and for workers’ rights

Europe’s merciless treatment of Italy only hardens popular resentment

France and Germany often flout eurozone rules, yet Italy’s poor are paying the price

We could all do with being a little less sure of ourselves

Harsh debate and oversensitivity to challenge are both rigid positions that do little for public discourse

EU obsession with migration is shameful, racist and fatal

Italy’s harassment of MSF’s efforts to rescue migrants at sea is a stain on Europe

A fear of cultural loss is fuelling anger with elites across Europe

The gilets jaunes protests are not only about economics but political disaffection