Breakfast In The Ruins
Destruction and regeneration at the ancient archaeological site of Palmyra over the last four thousand years of its history, from well before the Emperor Hadrian, to the present day barbarity of the Islamic State.
The Pen and the Sword: Reporting ISIS
An insightful piece from the BBC World Affairs correspondent examines the complex ethical and editorial challenges of reporting on the horrors of the war waged by ISIS.
Playing By Pyongyang’s Rules
The challenges of running a travel agency when your top destination is North Korea.
The Cognitive Biases Tricking Your Brain
A piece looking at the huge number of cognitive biases human beings are lumbered with, from a bias against evidence that counters our existing views, to prioritising rewards in the present over increased returns in the future.
Alibaba v. Tencent: The Battle for Supremacy in China
The story of two homegrown technology heavyweights slugging it out for dominance in China.
Thus spake Albert
A piece looking at the prevalence of Albert Einstein aphorisms in the public consciousness_Ñ_at an extraordinary level even for someone of his stellar reputation. The story examines his sayings and how they were in some cases applied in his own life and times.
Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble
Talk about the Bitcoin bubble and fortunes made and lost is one thing (cf. the news this week that rapper 50 Cent was paid in Bitcoin for an album, forgot about it, and is now $8m richer), but this insightful piece proposes that the blockchain technology behind it can unlock things of far greater value.
Lake Chad: The World’s Most Complex Humanitarian Disaster
A thorough piece of reporting looking at a crisis caused by a toxic blend of issues – weak government, climate change, violent extremism, and structural weaknesses left behind by colonialism.
My year inside the international Alt-Right
The advocacy group Hope Not Hate infiltrated the alt-right movement and this is the story of their mole’s experiences, starting in the UK and expanding elsewhere. The piece is part of an investigation into the politics and personalities of the alt-right that runs wide and deep.