The Convert
The story of Tania Joya, who went from school in Barking to the conflict in Syria as the wife of a senior American ISIS member, to an affluent suburban life in Texas – all in a matter of years.
RT, Sputnik and Russia’s New Theory of War
An impressive piece of reporting, looking at the Russian propaganda machine, its highly strategic attempts to “undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order”, and some of its recent successes in influencing international geo-politics.
The Last Death-Defying Honey Hunter of Nepal
A look at the life and work of Mauli Dhan and his fellow hunters, who climb rope ladders hundreds of feet up Himalayan cliffs to harvest “mad honey”, a naturally hallucinogenic honey that sells for high prices on the black market.
The Third Person
A story looking at the professionals hired by wives in China to deal with their husbands’ mistresses.
How the Aztecs predicted the apocalypse
A compellingly written look at apocalyptic thinking in the era of “late capitalism’s dimming sun” told through an examination of the Aztec civilisation’s experience of destruction – first prophesied, then actual.
Meet the Woman Who Helps Humanize Murderers
A profile of the person whose job it is to influence juries in trials for serious crimes (often those carrying the death penalty) by telling the defendant’s background story.
Burj Khalifa: Alone at the Top of the World
A dispatch from the hermetically sealed world of mega-developments as the author and his friend explore the tallest structure in the world, and reflect on the stratosphere of the super rich.
Canary in the Code Mine
A look at a project to teach coding to former miners in Appalachian coal country. The project was born in part out of a dismissive comment made by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and its popularity has confounded stereotypes.
Hot Mess
The story of how Goldman Sachs took on Libya as a client, and subsequently allegedly lost $1.2bn of their money.