As we consider the past year, a selection of remarkable in-depth pieces shines. Such pieces explore intricate subjects from political intrigue and scientific revelations to profoundly personal stories.
The Puzzling Writer and the Conscience of a Nation
An author became known in the 1990s with biting satires on power. Although several of his literary peers have encountered censorship or left the country, he continues to move vast numbers of books. It prompts a key query: Has the author become an apologist for the Kremlin?
Endurance and Complicity in the Syrian Devastating Conflict
The account of a young man, who at eighteen was informed that his sole route out of prison was to join the regime military. Following 14 long years, his former role as one of the Syrian leader's soldiers might still get him killed.
A Acrimonious Argument Over Our Earliest Origins
The finding of fossilised remains in the Chadian desert in 2001 was heralded as fundamentally rewriting the story of our human race. Yet, a faction was persuaded. The ensuing bitter controversy has consumed the careers of scholars ever since.
A British Religious Group That Hid in Plain Sight
Philippa Barnes was only a young girl when her family joined the a religious community. As an grown woman, she played a key role in reveal the disturbing extent of mistreatment it had perpetrated.
The Prime Minister's Curious Record on Human Rights
Numerous supporters anticipated that the prime minister would restore the UK's dedication to human rights. But, the performance over the past year has been curiously inconsistent.
Breaking a Country's Self-Image
A film following a remorseful fraudster as she records unscrupulous clients with hidden cameras asks complex questions: Is she truly changed, and what are the director's own motives?
The Person Who Decontaminates the UK's Most Difficult Scenes
From murder scenes to biological waste, an extreme cleaner has encountered – and cleaned – everything. In their darkest moments, people depend on him to bring back peace.
Will an Iconic Museum Survive an "Omni-Crisis"?
Burdened by colonial controversy, precarious finances and the exposure of an internal thief, Britain's leading cultural institution is in a major crisis. The question remains: Is it possible to restore its reputation?
More Than "Pregnancy Nausea": A Agony of Severe Condition
Known as a severe form of pregnancy sickness and once termed 'pernicious vomiting' by the Victorians, this illness has for centuries lacked an effective medical remedy – until possibly now.
The Ghost of Radicalism in Modern Politics
A violent fanatic and early advocate of bigotry, Meir Kahane died a political pariah 35 years ago. Now, his ideas permeate the highest echelons of government.
An British Gentleman With a Crooked Secret
With his sharp mind and sterling background, it's understandable that wealthy individuals entrusted him with their wealth. Then they began to get wary.
A Tiny State That Emerged as the World's Mediation Center
An astonishingly rich country has risen as a major actor on the international scene, working to broker peace in some of the most complex conflicts. What are driving this unprecedented endeavor?
An Inside Look at a President Gearing Up for International Battle
Extremely unpopular at domestically, President Macron relishes the international arena, where he positions himself as the statesman uniquely positioned to deal with a particular former US president. 7 years after their last encounter, a journalist accompanied him as he readied himself for battle.
Inside the Trial of a Heartbreaking Story
What led to the child of an aristocrat end up at the a major court with her companion, facing charges with killing their two-week-old infant?
An Dismantling of a Major Aid Agency: Far From Universal Mourning
When actions were made to drastically cut a major US aid agency, many around the globe were taken aback. But on the front lines in Sierra Leone, this most recent letdown was not unforeseen.
A Shocking 1960s Study on South Asian Women
When information about a medical experiment in the sixties were revealed, there was widespread anxiety. But the full nature of the procedures remains partially contested.
The "Genius" of the Attention Economy
He's spent a full day in a vat of goo, 48 hours buried alive – and distributed enormous sums of money to lucky contestants. But are these productions simply incredibly savvy clickbait – or works of avant garde brilliance?
Life in a Country Endangered by the Rising Seas
With the ocean increasing, much of this Pacific island nation's population is facing the possibility that their homeland may soon become uninhabitable. The urgent issue is: Where are they supposed to relocate?
One Sorrowful Case of Childhood Homelessness
As I met Craig he was 13 and without a home. I still hoped his situation might improve. That hope was devastatingly misplaced.
The International Artificial Intelligence Race and a Key Defection
In 2020, after living decades in the US, a leading AI scientist took a one-way ticket to his home country. Now, he could hold the secret to who wins the worldwide technological rivalry.
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