Dmitry Medvedev: the whipping boy for Russia’s discontented
A profile of Vladimir Putin’s political foil.
A tale of decay: the Houses of Parliament are falling down
The iconic building of the British state is in a state of serious disrepair. It caught fire forty times in a four year period, and the list of required repairs is mind-boggling. Yet the way to deal with this increasingly pressing concern is not at all clear.
My Double Life as a KGB Agent
The story of Albrecht Dittrich, an East German chemist who spent years as a spy under the identity of Jack Barsky, a computer analyst working in Manhattan.
Libor scandal: the bankers who fixed the world’s most important number
A look deep inside the Libor scandal that reads like a Hollywood clich of corporate malfeasance.
Orbiting Jupiter: my week with Emmanuel Macron
A profile that looks beyond Emmanuel Macron’s charismatic personality and assesses his rise to power, performance in office, and future prospects.
An unsolved murder at Italy’s most notorious tower block
The story of a murder at an apartment block marketed as a luxury development when it opened in 1968, but now “like an inverse of Dante’s layers of hell”. The building is disintegrating, but houses a large and diverse population, including an estimated 50 drug dealers. This is a story about the changes in fortune in the Italian economy, urban development, immigration, integration, and failing public infrastructure.
The last Nazi hunters
A look at the work of Germany’s Central Office for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes.
How to spot a perfect fake: the world’s top art forgery detective
As the prices commanded by landmark works and artists rise ever higher, so too does the sophistication of forgeries being produced to dupe collectors and institutions. A tip: it’s apparently far easier to copy a Modigliani than a Leonardo – at a recent exhibition of his work, 20 out of the 21 works on display were found to be counterfeits. This piece profiles the man said to be the very best in the field of science-led authentication.
How Britain let Russia hide its dirty money
A piece looking at the influx of Russian money into the UK.
Where global warming gets real: inside Nasa’s mission to the north pole
The story of Nasa’s evocatively named Operation IceBridge.