THE 2014 York Festival of Ideas officially begins on Thursday with a high-profile look at how the world should respond to global crises such as Syria and Ukraine.

The Crossroads Of Conflict begins at the Ron Cooke Hub at the University of York at 6pm, when Sir Richard Dalton, the UK’s former Ambassador to Iran and Libya, and former US Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin discuss their own experience of tackling crises. Their talks will be followed by a panel debate at 7.15pm.

The event marks the official start of ten days of talks, readings, performances, demonstrations and exhibitions - more than 140 events - at venues across the city. Questions being debated include: do religion and science really need to be at war with each other? What is the future of banking? And should we be in or out of the Eurozone?

All this plus War Horse author Michael Morpurgo; Ann Frank’s step-sister Eva Schloss on surviving Auschwitz; a debate about how northern cities can compete with London; Anthony Horowitz on his new Bond novel - and even a chance to sample some genuine Anglo-Saxon ale. Plus much, much more. Many events are free. To find out more, and to book tickets, visit: www.yorkfestivalofideas.com