Spies, science and fish and chips – 10 years of stories with the Guardian Long Read

For foreign correspondents, being wary of spies is often part of the job. And, as Shaun Walker revealed in an extraordinary Guardian Long Read this week, possible undercover agents can come in many forms. Shaun told the story of Pablo González, a Spanish journalist who charmed his way into Russian opposition circles before being arrested in Poland in 2022 on suspicion of being a spy for Russia. In August he was flown to Moscow as part of a prisoner swap deal, and greeted by Vladimir Putin as he disembarked. Now many of Gonzalez’s former associates believe he betrayed them. Shaun first met González (above) on a training course in Wales in 2011. He told the story in remarkable detail for our biweekly Long Reads section, which recently marked its 10th anniversary and is celebrating by picking some of its greatest hits over the past decade for our Audio Long Reads podcast series.

Some of the best Long Reads are ageless and often attract a surge of readers months and years after they’ve been published when posted on social media. This week, I wanted to share with you a few of my own recent(ish) favourites from the Long Read. (But first, make sure you sign up to the Long Read’s weekly newsletter).

The first is Nesrine Malik’s story about the fall of her former home city of Khartoum soon after the start of the civil war in 2023. As well as a crucial primer on the conflict, Nesrine wrote in depth about her family’s escape from the violence in the city. This 10th anniversary year has produced dozens of excellent features including doctor Jack Goulder’s on the delicate and tricky process of getting an ADHD diagnosis for children in the UK; a tremendously sad essay by our rugby union writer Michael Aylwin about the death of his wife Vanessa from Alzheimer’s and Atul Dev’s study in power through the rise of Amit Shah, Narendra Modi’s enforcer and right-hand man. Readers also continue to discover Alex Blasdel’s piece from April about the changing understanding among scientists of what happens to our brains when we die – something, Alex discovered, that’s become a holy grail of neuroscience. Tom Burgis’s recent epic about a decade-long saga that has rocked the UK’s financial crime agency was unmissable, too.

Some of my favourite Long Reads take small human stories and open them up to paint a much broader picture. Interested in how the newspaper industry has evolved? Try Sophie Elmhirst’s character study of the last court reporters at the Old Bailey (England and Wales’s top criminal court) for size. Want to understand how a spike in fuel and food prices impacts ordinary business? Start with Tom Lamont’s feature about the challenges facing three beloved fish and chip shops in a small town in Scotland as they scrap for survival. (And do look out too for Tom’s upcoming Long Read on the Hyperia rollercoaster at Thorpe Park – which you can bet will be about more than just theme parks.)

It remains rare in British journalism to produce two Long Reads during the week of such high quality on such a diverse range of subjects. In a 24/7, always-on world of pinging notifications and endless scrolls, there is a benefit to sometimes taking a pause and going long.

Emma Graham-Harrison has visited Kherson in eastern Ukraine and filed a worrying dispatch on how Russian forces are terrorising civilians using Chinese drones to stalk them and drop hand grenades on the city’s streets. She also worked with Justin McCurry in Tokyo for a startling piece looking at the presence of North Korean engineers and troops on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine.

World affairs editor Julian Borger digested the news that IDF soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and concluded it wasn’t the result of a meticulously planned operation, but sheer luck. He also reflected on how likely it is Sinwar’s death will end the war – the answer, not very likely. As the conflict continues,this immersive sonic soundscape of Gaza provided a haunting insight into what it must be like to live in the territory amid the incessant sound of bombs, drones, explosions, gunshot and screams.

The UK government has agreed to review its benefits rules for unpaid carers after a series of articles by the Guardian’s social policy editor Patrick Butler and North of England reporter Josh Halliday. Over many months Patrick exposed a system that has seen many people unjustly prosecuted for fraud.

David Smith, our Washington DC bureau chief, spent three days on the road with Kamala Harris as she blitzed the media in an attempt to pull away in the polls from Donald Trump. Harris has also been quick to note that Trump’s meandering rallies often see people leaving early from “exhaustion and boredom”. George Chidi spoke to Trump supporters at a rally in Georgia to see if that was the real reason. For our Politics Weekly America podcast, Jonathan Freedland interviewed Nancy Pelosi, who spoke candidly about the prospect of a second Trump presidency and her relationship (or lack of) with Joe Biden since helping to force him from the race.

This week our investigations reporters, alongside science correspondent Hannah Devlin, broke a series of stories about an international network of so-called “race science” activists seeking to influence public debate with discredited – and offensive – ideas on race and eugenics. The stories included the network’s secret funding from a multimillionaire US tech entrepreneur and its apparent use of sensitive health information donated by half a million British volunteers.

Football Weekly covered the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, the first German to manage England’s men’s national football team. Jonathan Liew addressed the predictable and depressing howls of outrage from some quarters about the appointment of the team’s third foreign manager, while Barney Ronay called it an “ambitious, widescreen hire – a gingering up of the brand”.

Michelle Duff explored the extraordinary story of how a fugitive father and his three young children might have survived on the run in New Zealand for three years, potentially living off herbs, wild carrots, tree roots and animal meat.

We interviewed this year’s Booker prize-shortlisted authors, Rachel Kushner, Yael van der Wouden, Charlotte Wood, Percival Everett, Samantha Harvey and Anne Michaels, on the inspiration behind each of their stories. For a flavour of their works you can watch actors including Jason Isaacs and Will Poulter reading extracts from the shortlist.

It’s been 20 years since the death of actor Christopher Reeve. Best known for his role as Superman, he went on to become a disability rights advocate after a life-changing horse riding accident. His three children told Simon Hattenstone he was “just an intense dude” and shared some other unseen parts of his life, from his passion for politics to his extraordinary friendship with Robin Williams. Simon also interviewed author and former literary enfant terrible Hanif Kureishi who, in 2022, broke his neck after fainting and falling over. Al Pacino was fascinating on how he was almost fired from The Godfather, just weeks into filming, and how he discovered serendipitously his grandfather was born in Corleone, Sicily.

One more thing …I enjoyed Chris Thomond’s pictures of one Greater Manchester musical institution this week, but it is another that has been delivering light relief amid heavier fare in my podcast rotation in recent weeks. Not that Transmissions, the story of Joy Division and New Order, is short on moments of chaos or disaster. The tale of those two seminal Manchester bands is now well into its second series and has reached 1989 at the Haçienda to find New Order on the brink of collapse – again. The original members of the band may no longer all be talking to one another but all have recorded new interviews for this brilliantly atmospheric retelling of one of the greatest tales in modern music.

Cook this | Rick Toogood’s lime pickle pumpkin curry with spiced hispi

Lime pickle gives pumpkin a turbo boost of flavour. Here it’s served with hispi cabbage, but that could easily be switched to a fillet of fish, pork loin or even lamb cutlets, all roasted with the same butter.

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The Guardian’s crosswords and Wordiply are here to keep you entertained throughout the weekend.