Afghanistan hits back at UN and foreign criticism - at FT.com - Sat 9:05 am ET
Afghanistan hit back at pressure from Western powers for it to crackdown on corruption on Saturday and accused the United Nations envoy to Kabul of seeking to interfere in the formation of the next government.

An era of excellence - at FT.com - Sat 3:00 am ET
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The Age of Orphans - at FT.com - Fri 11:15 pm ET
The Age of OrphansBy Laleh KhadiviBloomsbury £14.99, 292 pagesFT Bookshop price £11.99 There is much to admire in the debut novel by Iranian filmmaker and writer Laleh Khadivi.

Ransom - at FT.com - Fri 11:15 pm ET
RansomBy David MaloufChatto & Windus £14, 240 pagesFT Bookshop price: £11.19 David Malouf discovered Homer's Iliad as a child in Australia in the second world war. Similarly suspended amid a conflict whose outcome he could not know, the story moved him.

Astérix & Obélix's Birthday - at FT.com - Fri 11:15 pm ET
Astérix & Obélix's Birthday: The Golden BookBy René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, translated by Anthea BellOrion £10.99, 56 pagesFT Bookshop price: £8.79

Without Saying Goodbye - at FT.com - Fri 11:15 pm ET
Without Saying GoodbyeBy Maryam SachsTranslated by Sara SugiharaQuartet £10, 128 pagesFT Bookshop price: £8 Happily married Roxane becomes entranced by a stranger she catches sight of in a restaurant.

The Humbling - at FT.com - Fri 11:15 pm ET
The HumblingBy Philip RothJonathan Cape £12.99, 140 pagesFT Bookshop price: £10.39 What would have happened if the manuscript of this piece of short fiction had been sent, unsolicited, to five or six British publishers?