Seventeen years after 9/11, this fine piece of writing has lost none of its heartrending impact. The terrible context of the piece ties a knot in the reader’s stomach as they make their way through a love story, then war stories, to the narrative’s inevitable conclusion.
This story goes back in time to Sergei Skripal’s life in the Russian intelligence service, long before he was poisoned in Salisbury. It skilfully intersperses his story with that of the wider geopolitical climate, from the fall of the USSR to today.
A look behind the scenes at a formerly little known Chinese car manufacturer, now owner of Volvo, with a stake in Daimler, and full ownership of the company making London’s very own black cabs.
A detailed look at how Viktor Orbn and his Fidesz party quietly knocked out the foundations of democracy in Hungary and launched a new era of self-proclaimed “illiberal democracy”. http://bit.ly/vox-orban
As a deep dive into the policing of Mars colonies, this piece is by definition somewhat speculative, but it is no less interesting for it.
“Not many people change the world. Fewer still are thanked for it.” – Neal Ascherson reviews a biography of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who joined that small group when he helped to bring about its end.
A piece examining endlings, the final members of species, and human attempts to progress with something that was previously only referred to in science fiction novels – “De-extinction”.
A trove of extremely well preserved vessels has been found in the Black Sea, some a thousand years old.
The story of the conservation efforts dedicated to preserving the majestic whooping crane, and the unlawful killing of two of their flock.
A journalist secures an interview for ELLE with the legendary and secretive head designer at fashion house Comme des Garons. Things go very wrong.