Visa, Plaid, Networks, and Jobs
A piece unpacking what VISA’s acquisition of a fintech startup can teach us about the power of networks, and the future of consumer payments.
Revealed: how Angolan ruler’s daughter used her status to build $2bn empire
The story of alleged grand corruption perpetrated by Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of the former President of Angola.
Sound and the city
A story examining the lack of silence in urban environments, and its impact on the people living in them.
A scandal in Oxford: the curious case of the stolen gospel
A story about an Oxford academic accused of illicitly profiting from the sale of an ancient fragment of the Gospel of Mark to a conservative evangelical family who were hoovering up biblical artefacts.
The Mysterious Lawyer X
She was a leading figure in the Australian legal scene, known for her effectiveness, as well as unusually close social relationships with some of the clients she defended in criminal matters. It turns out that there was a far bigger issue lying beneath the surface.
How The 2010s Killed The Celebrity Gossip Machine
An analysis of how celebrities’ ability to communicate directly with their fans through social media has resulted in a power shift towards stars and away from the paparazzi driven media.
Weather Reports: Voices from Xinjiang
A collection of powerful testimonies from people related to, or formerly amongst, the estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 people understood to be detained in concentration camps in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
The Tokyo Job: Inside Carlos Ghosn’s Escape to Beirut
The story of how a specialist team sensationally extracted the former CEO of Nissan from his house arrest in Tokyo to Lebanon, a country that has no extradition treaty with Japan.
Mohammed bin Zayed’s Dark Vision of the Middle East’s Future
A piece seeking to deconstruct the world view and ambitions of the leader of the UAE, a key player in a region under severe political strain. It’s noteworthy that the response online to this piece has been extremely divided, ranging from dubbing it “a sinister piece of hagiography” to an “exceptional profile” based on an “extremely rare interview”.
How the US helped create El Salvador’s bloody gang war
A piece tracing the roots of El Salvador’s notorious, brutal, MS-13 gang to 1980s Los Angeles.