The struggle between good and evil in William Golding’s fiction By Alan Jenkins
The many lives of W. H. Auden By Ian Sansom
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, the controversial US tech company By Emily Jones
Why do we experience consciousness?
As fighting in the Middle East entered its third week, focus has shifted to Tehran’s closure of a key maritime passage, and the potentially huge global economic impact.
For our big story this week, Jillian Ambrose explains how the war in Iran has effectively blocked the Gulf states from exporting a fifth of the world’s oil supply through the strait of Hormuz. Peter Beaumont sets out the significance of the route and the possible options to counter the blockade, while Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports on the building anger and resentment in the region over being dragged into a war they did not start and had diplomatically tried to prevent.
Peter also looks at “the escalation trap” that lies ahead for both sides in the conflict, and we have on-the-ground reports from Jason Burke in northern Israel and William Christou in southern Lebanon, as well as a stark account of day-to-day life from inside Tehran.
Spotlight | ‘Extraordinary cruelty’
Kaamil Ahmed and Alex Clark examine the evidence that starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan
Technology | Star fruit
As Apple reaches its half-century, Chris Stokel-Walker rounds up its biggest triumphs and flops
Feature | Feminism’s not dead!
In a stirring riposte to all those who have declared the death of the women’s movement, Rebecca Solnit outlines the advances that have been made and argues it’s no time to give up the fight
Opinion | The British right’s Maga obsession
UK conservatives were once hostile to the US, but now are keen to emphasise loyalty to Trump above all else, writes Kojo Koram
Culture | One win after another
After 11 nominations without a single win, film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson deservedly struck gold at the Oscars with One Battle After Another, says Xan Brooks
Why the battle for Iran and Ukraine is coming for us all. By Will Lloyd
Iran has discovered a new weapon, much more powerful than its nuclear programme. By Katie Stallard
Britain’s most divisive designer on Labour’s lack of “cultural confidence”, housebuilding, and what makes a beautiful building. By Anoosh Chakelian
Oil and natural gas prices climbed and European gas prices surged as tit-for-tat attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf heightened fears that the war would set off an energy crisis.
Iran’s military retaliation and political defiance evoke a decades-old pattern of unrealized goals for American interventions in the region.
European leaders are pushing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to stop blocking a €90 billion loan to Ukraine. But the issue is a rallying cry in remarkably close elections in Hungary set for April 12.
HARPER’S MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Lessons From An Occupation’….
The story of an occupation by Daniel Brook
Has Russia won the war? by Olivier Kempf
What are conservative environmentalists fighting for? by Gaby Del Valle
On the fiction of siblings by Christine Smallwood
Israel’s attacks are part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy to encourage Iranians to overthrow their rulers. Some see that as wishful thinking.
Israel carried out deadly strikes in Beirut, intensifying its assault against Hezbollah militants. Tehran retaliated for the killing of its de facto leader.
Here’s a state-by-state look at the increase, and how it could affect you.
THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘My Year as a Degenerate Gambler”…
My year as a degenerate gambler
On a Thursday evening in September, I excused myself from the family dinner table and slipped into my bedroom. I didn’t want my kids to see what I was about to do.
With the door locked behind me, I pulled out my phone and downloaded the DraftKings betting app. I felt a certain thrill as I typed in my debit-card information and deposited $500. The first game of the NFL season was a few minutes away. Anything seemed possible. …By McKay Coppins
The odds of being struck by lightning in America in a given year are one in 1.2 million. How does the experience reorient a person’s sense of chance, of fate? By Jacob Stern
Nearly a year after a national-security scandal erupted on my iPhone, no one in the Trump administration has faced consequences. By Jeffrey Goldberg
The WASPs risked their lives flying for the Army. But for decades, the U.S. government refused to recognize their military service. By Ellen Cushing
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘A Galactic Mystery’ – Missing Dark Matter presents a Cosmic conundrum.
High in the Rockies, researchers are discovering that wind-borne pollution and rising heat are fueling unprecedented algal blooms by Cody Cottier
Surprising studies show young people are doing better than previous generations in many ways by Melinda Wenner Moyer
Now Medical Studios, Jen Christiansen
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The Mystery of a Byzantine Shipwreck’…
What a Lost Treasure Could Reveal About the Medieval World
National Geographic explorations have uncovered remarkably preserved Byzantine shipwrecks, particularly in the Black Sea, where anoxic (oxygen-free) deep water preserves wooden structures for over a millennium. These discoveries, including vessels from the 9th century and earlier, provide unprecedented insights into ancient maritime trade, construction, and life.
Key Discoveries and Mysteries
The Ship’s Purpose: Investigations revealed the ship likely belonged to the Christian church (possibly the monastery of Samos) and was ferrying wine and olive oil to Byzantine troops fighting Persians in A.D. 626.
Innovative Design: Unlike other ships of its time, this vessel featured advanced facilities that provided “gracious” food and accommodation for passengers, who typically slept on open decks.
The Black Sea Finds: More recently, National Geographic has covered the discovery of over 40 remarkably preserved shipwrecks in the Black Sea’s “dead zone” (an oxygen-starved environment), including 1,000-year-old Byzantine trading vessels with intact masts and carvings.
The Croatia Wreck: Another significant find in the Adriatic Sea near Croatia challenged the narrative of simple coastal trading when archaeologists discovered a cargo that suggested a much more complex and “flipped” story of medieval commerce.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, was killed in an overnight strike, the Israeli military said. His death would deal another severe blow to Iran’s power structure.
The killing of Mr. Larijani would remove a prominent voice of defiance who was also seen as a pragmatist with the clout to negotiate with the U.S.
Barraged by Iranian attacks and questioning the value of security ties with the U.S., Gulf countries have turned to Ukraine, Australia and Italy for help.
With a presidential summit most likely delayed, and tensions rising over Iran, vital issues for the U.S. and China are also being cast into uncertainty.
The attack hit a drug rehabilitation facility, Afghanistan said, suggesting that its victims included civilians. Pakistan said it had targeted an ammunitions depot.
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