The Plot to Subvert an Election: Unraveling the Russia Story So Far
This piece goes back to the beginning and unpacks in meticulous detail and with great clarity, Russia’s interference with the 2016 US Election.
A Spy Story: Sergei Skripal Was a Little Fish. He Had a Big Enemy.
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.
Aleppo After the Fall
A powerful piece looking at the complex new reality emerging in a city and country so horribly affected by civil war, where the regime is now feeling a new confidence.
Kidnapped Royalty Become Pawns in Iran’s Deadly Plot
This piece kicks off with an evocative depiction of the scene typically found at the V.I.P. terminal of Baghdad International Airport. It was there where in April 2017 a group of Qataris were held on arrival when their luggage was found to contain $360 million in cash. Their presence was linked to a royal hunting trip turned kidnapping that would significantly affect the Middle East’s geopolitics.
David’s Ankles
A thoughtful piece on the transcendental beauty and structural fragility of one of the most celebrated works of art in the world, Michelangelo’s statue of David.
The Fall of China’s Hedge Fund King
Xu Xiang was China’s most successful hedge fund manager, posting returns in excess of 800% and worth $2.2bn. Unfortunately, his card was marked.
A Lost World of Shipwrecks Is Found
A trove of extremely well preserved vessels has been found in the Black Sea, some a thousand years old.
Could Cyril Ramaphosa Be the Best Leader South Africa Has Not Yet Had?
The former Executive Editor of The New York Times Bill Keller wrote this piece on South AfricaÕs new President back in 2013. It remains an interesting perspective on the man now leading his country after the fall of Jacob Zuma.
Scaling the World’s Most Lethal Mountain, in the Dead of Winter
A profile of a group of Polish climbers planning to summit the deadly giant K2 in winter, following in the footsteps of a celebrated older generation.
Overlooked
An initiative by The New York Times aiming to address the imbalance of coverage in their obituary section starts with profiles of fifteen women who were overlooked at the time of their death. The set includes remarkable figures from many walks of life – from great writers such as Charlotte Bront and Sylvia Plath, to the early civil rights campaigner and journalist Ida B. Wells, and to Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken from her body without permission and used for medical research.