Where global warming gets real: inside Nasa’s mission to the north pole
The story of Nasa’s evocatively named Operation IceBridge.
Urban Dreams
A look at the plan to build an Indian state capital from scratch, the fifth such project and perhaps the most ambitious yet.
The legend of the Legion
A profile of the French Foreign Legion, staffed primarily by foreign nationals as its name suggests, and with a modern day reputation for going into harm’s way as an elite unit. Its history is more diverse, particularly its complex relationship with the French state, perhaps best exemplified by the involvement of some of their number in an attempted coup against Charles De Gaulle’s government in 1961.
Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever
The author retraces Lenin’s return from exile in 1917, a journey that was to have a profound impact on human history.
Russians at the Gates
In this thoughtful piece, the author recalls his childhood interactions with the Red Army soldiers posted to a base near his home in Dresden in the 1970s.
How a Pillar of German Banking Lost Its Way
A piece navigating the troubled waters of Deutsche Bank.
The Most Charming Man In Washington
A profile of Yousef Al Otaiba, the Ambassador for the United Arab Emirates to Washington, by many accounts a supreme political operator who has access at the highest echelons of US government.
The Most Potent, Permanent and Elusive Figure in British Politics
A fascinating January 2016 profile of Jeremy Heywood, the man heading the UK civil service. He has been an instrumental part of government during the reign of the last three Prime Ministers, and reportedly has a seat at every table that matters.
China’s Robot Revolution
A look at the rise of industrial robots in China, a trend that will have a major impact on the global economy.
What would it take to build a tower as high as outer space?
Such are the advances that have been made in structural engineering, that proposals now exist to create buildings that can reach space. For such “megastructures” to be viable however, we may need to look to the natural world for inspiration – perhaps even our own bodies, where an estimated 98% of atoms are replaced each year.