A year of political upheaval, sporting thrills, and continuing global conflict. The Times Companion to 2016 is a selection of authoritative and entertaining writing on politics, war, culture, sport and current affairs from the world's most famous newspaper.

No dry chronicle of daily events, it brings together some of the best articles - and photographs and graphics - published by The Times between September 2015 and August 2016. In a lively mix of news features and reportage, profiles and interviews, opinion columns and expert analysis, The Times's award-winning journalists tell the stories behind the headlines of a remarkable year.