I was 10 years old in 1992 when Kabul was bombarded by warring forces, and life became a cycle of hunger, fear and horror. Then as now, children bear the brunt of war. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘I remember the silence between the falling shells’: the terror of living under siege as a child

Paula Cooper was 15 when she murdered 77-year-old Ruth Pelke in her Indiana home, and was sentenced to death. But a campaign for her life came from an unexpected quarter. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

A violent murder, a child on death row

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: The noisy dispute over the meaning of populism is more than just an academic squabble – it’s a crucial argument about what we expect from democracy. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: ‘We the people’: the battle to define populism

He first became prime minister in 1996, and has been pushing the country further right ever since. Most agree his political days are numbered – but the approach he established will prove very difficult to shift. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The Netanyahu doctrine: how Israel’s longest-serving leader reshaped the country in his image

What started out as a small protest escalated into a decade-long struggle between the council and hundreds of ordinary people who decided to take radical action to save their city’s trees. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Chainsaws, disguises and toxic tea: the battle for Sheffield’s trees

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2018: Two killings in Paris, one year apart, have inflamed the bitter French debate over antisemitism, race and religion. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: How the murders of two elderly Jewish women shook France

As a victim of one of the NHS’s worst failures, I campaigned for years for an investigation into what led to so many people becoming infected with deadly viruses. Finally we got an inquiry – but did we get answers?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘I stopped counting how many friends died’: life after the contaminated blood scandal

Once the site of legendary parties, the Intercontinental in Kabul is still a potent symbol of who rules Afghanistan – and what its future might hold. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Inside the Taliban’s luxury hotel

To celebrate the launch of the new Guardian Long Read magazine this week, join the Long Read editor David Wolf in discussion with regular contributors Sophie Elmhirst and Samanth Subramanian • The Guardian Long Read magazine is available to order now. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Special Edition: Behind the scenes at the Long Read

From Brazil to Egypt, Turkey to Hong Kong, the 2010s saw a series of huge public uprisings. Yet many of them led to the opposite of what they asked for. I spoke to 200 participants across 12 countries to find out why. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The mass protest decade: why did the street movements of the 2010s fail?

There were so many warnings it would fail. How did it get this far?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘Incoherence and inconsistency’: the inside story of the Rwanda deportation plan

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2020: A funeral, a family, and a journey into a disappearing religion. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: The last of the Zoroastrians

As author of The Big Short and Moneyball, Michael Lewis is perhaps the most celebrated journalist of his generation. His latest book delivers an astonishing portrait of the fallen crypto billionaire. But did he get too close?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The insider: how Michael Lewis got a backstage pass for the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

When a microbe was found munching on a plastic bottle in a rubbish dump, it promised a recycling revolution. Now scientists are attempting to turbocharge those powers in a bid to solve our waste crisis. But will it work?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘We are just getting started’: the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: A GP has minutes to try to convince a person that life is worth living. It’s a challenge that brings rare rewards. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: What I have learned from my suicidal patients

A year ago, Germany’s vice-chancellor was one of the country’s best-liked public figures. Then came the tabloid-driven backlash. Now he has to win the argument all over again. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The trials of Robert Habeck: is the world’s most powerful green politician doomed to fail?

One night in 2005, Israeli soldiers came for Huda Dahbour’s teenage son. He was gone for a year and a half. The damage done to their family – and so many others like them – was incalculable. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘A hidden universe of suffering’: the Palestinian children sent to jail

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2022: At a summer camp for kids from conflict zones, I met my brave, funny friend Aseel. He was Palestinian. I was Israeli. When he was killed by police, my hope for our future died with him. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: ‘In our teens, we dreamed of making peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Then my friend was shot’

My reporting on the invasion of Ukraine led to an assassination order being issued – and then came the mysterious illness. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘You may have been poisoned’: how an independent Russian journalist became a target

They were long derided as knuckle-draggers, but new discoveries are setting the record straight. As we rethink the nature of the Neanderthals, we could also learn something about our own humanity. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

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