The late playwright, who died on Saturday, wrote about difficult subjects with a wit and humanity that informed all his relationships

The storm caused widespread damage in Jamaica and is making its way to Cuba; is climate change to blame for its power? What - or who - is behind Donald Trump's obsession with Venezuela? Is it good news that a cargo ship has made it through the North East Passage for the first time?   Jeevan Vasagar is joined by the Observer's Erica Wagner, Jessica Hayden and Chloe Hadjimatheou as they pitch their top stories of the day, live from the Observer newsroom.   

You race through novels as if your life depends on it – but there’s no guarantee that the “best” book wins

Two Jewish people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue. Did President Trump and Pete Hegseth cross the line with their inflammatory speeches to military generals? And what's behind the surge in profits at soft toy maker Jellycat?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer's Erica Wagner, John Simpson and Sam Freedman, as they pitch their top story of the day.    

The Canadian novelist’s memoir, Book of Lives, displays the wit, intelligence and complexity that marks her best work

What did we learn from Trump and Starmer's press conference? Why is Israel invading Gaza City? And what does the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel show reveal about US press freedom?

Scott Cooper’s authorised film about the musician may struggle to capture his creative spark

Are male novelists a dying breed? Can women trust apps with their personal data? Are tariffs the only way Donald Trump knows how to do diplomacy? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer's Home Affairs Editor John Simpson, Head of Data and Graphics Katie Riley and Consulting Editor for Comment, Erica Wagner.   

Writer whose exhaustive profiles of Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses are a must-read for global leaders

The exploits of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill became wild west myth, as Peter Cozzens’s history of Deadwood shows. But behind them lay the venal, illegal settlement of Native American land

The first amendment protects freedom of the press. Trump, our great patriot, is trampling all over it

The mutineers’ island still bears traces of its violent origins and recent catalogue of sexual crimes

Masters of their craft past and present collaborate on a nightmarish version of the classic fairytale

The BBC is to restrict archive access – which is hopeless for researchers

JK Rowling and the deathly book review – it’s got fine company

The Nasa hero’s ‘Houston, we’ve had a problem’ epitomises an understated but remarkable life

Jonathan Mahler's exploration of the power brokers of 1980s New York reveals the malign influence of the future president on the city's media

Recent shakeups in the publishing industry suggest that commercial interests are slowly killing off criticism

The Aurora Orchestra performs entire symphonies by heart. Its collaboration with Frantic Assembly blends theatre, dance and music to make classical accessible to all

In Vera, Or Faith, the Russian-American novelist imagines an eerily familiar dystopia through the eyes of a child

Authors such as David Nicholls are topping the bestseller charts – but they are not the macho writers of old

Global, political, complex and subtle: this list of 13 nominated novels is the most exciting for decades

The author’s new novel is inspired by the dramatic Cumbrian skies of her formative years – and was 20 years in the making