The legendary birthplace of Siddhartha in Nepal beckons worshipers from around the world—and archaeologists hoping to uncover new evidence about the revered spiritual leader
In a world that consumes two billion cups of coffee each day, climate change is threatening the most popular species. How one leading botanist is scouring remote corners of the earth to find new beans that could keep our cups full
Long overlooked, Swedish painter Hilma af Klint made pioneering abstract art. Today she’s a global star—but some scholars insist she should be sharing the spotlight
The detention of the popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month has sparked Turkey’s largest anti-government protests in years, with people gathering nightly amid violent clashes with police. But after thousands of arrests and with disagreements about how the protests should move forwards, the opposition movement is at a crossroads.
Amid concerns that Turkey may be slipping irretrievably towards full authoritarianism, Ruth Michaelson reports from Istanbul on how the detention of a popular young activist has caused particular anger among opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. Ruth also weighs up what options now lie ahead for the protest movement amid disagreements about the best way forward.
Spotlight | Myanmar, after the earthquake With thousands now known to have been killed as a result of last Friday’searthquake that struck near Mandalay,Rebecca Ratcliffe reports on fading hopes of finding more survivors
Environment | The power of dead seaweed Rotting sargassum is clogging up Grenada’s beaches – but innovative technology is turning it into fuel, fertiliser and bioplastics. Natricia Duncan and Abigail McIntyre report
Feature | The rapid growth in beard transplants Demand for beard transplant surgery is soaring – despite the dangers that lurk in unregulated clinics. Are the risks worth it? Simon Usborne investigates
Opinion | How to beat the far right As a lonely, hate-filled kid in Sydney’s suburbs, Matthew Quinn turned to far-right ideology. Now he reveals how he helps others avoid that path
Culture | The return of FKA twigs Despite global stardom, FKA twigs has always felt a lack of belonging. The musician opens up to Zoe Williams about f ighting censorship, crying on stage and performing for peanuts
The art of conversation can be aided by a carefully configured drawing room, says Emma Burns of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler
All ‘Clough-ed up’
Ben Lerwill marks 100 years of Portmeirion in North Wales, the outlandish architectural creation of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis
Property market
Arabella Youens casts her eye over compact country estates in Dorset, Devon and Hertfordshire
A prince among plantsmen
Charles Quest-Ritson is wowed by the memorable magnolias among the 6,000 plants in the Kent garden of Maurice Foster
Travel
Libby Brodie and Rosie Paterson explore the magnificent Maldives and Pamela Goodman shares not so fond memories of cheese fondue
Zoë Wanamaker’s favourite painting
The actress chooses a vibrant work bursting with the light, colour and energy of spring
A house of many inspirations
Jeremy Musson marvels at the amazing transformation of 300-year-old farm buildings at High Wardington House, Oxfordshire
The legacy
Kate Green pays tribute to Joe Henson, a ‘true gentleman’ who led the way in safeguarding some of our favourite native breeds
From this slumber you shall wake
Numbers have plummeted in the past 20 years, but plans are afoot to revive the fortunes of the hazel dormouse, reveals Jack Watkins
The good stuff
Immortalise your beloved pet in a beautiful piece of bespoke jewellery, suggests Hetty Lintell
London Life
Amie Elizabeth White embarks on the capital’s Big Egg Hunt, Country Life writers present all the titbits you need to know this month and Huon Mallalieu takes a trip down memory lane as he recalls the colourful characters of Booksellers’ Row
Foraging
John Wright lauds elderflower for its ‘scent beyond compare’
Arts & antiques
Carla Passino delves into the beauty, birds and beasts in the kingdom of J. M. W. Turner
Close to your chest
Huon Mallalieu investigates how the chest of drawers has gradually made itself at home in every room of the house
A song of the four seasons
Henrietta Bredin applauds the fusing of poetry and music in the exquisite song cycle ‘Seasons’
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (March 28, 2025): The 3.30.25 Issue features Nicholas Casey on Germany and the remains of its fascist past; Charles Homans on the strange popularity of the Unabomber’s manifesto; Bruce Schoenfeld on the ways baseball analytics are changing the game for starting pitchers; Jonah Weiner on the comedy of Andy Kaufman; and more.
Unburying the Remains of the Third Reich
As the German right ascends, the nation is still grappling with its fascist past — and how to handle its remains.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (March 20, 2025): The 3.23.25 Issue features Matt Flegenheimer and Dana Rubinstein on Eric Adams’s scandal-ridden mayoralty; Helen Ouyang on how airline pilots are pushed to hide their mental health issues; Parul Sehgal on progressives and solidarity; and more.
He promised law and order. Instead, his scandal-ridden mayoralty became a symbol — and engine — of the city’s chaos.
Why Airline Pilots Feel Pushed to Hide Their Mental Illness
Is the F.A.A. really ensuring
How Generative A.I. Complements the MAGA Style
Online Trump supporters have embraced a unique form of irony that is hard to parse — and easy to deploy with new technologies.safety by disqualifying pilots who receive a diagnosis or treatment?
Lauren Gambino examines how growing difficulties for Musk have given heart to Democrats as they see his recognition factor and billionaire status as an easy rallying point to rebuild their own battered political fortunes.
Spotlight | On the frontline of the tariff wars Leyland Cecco takes the pulse of Hamilton, Ontario’s steel-making hub, after the Trump administration imposed a 25% levy on imports of Canadian steel and aluminium
Environment | Loess regained The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farming, finds Helen Davidson
Feature | A Syrian civil war survivor Ghaith Abdul-Ahad chronicles the life of Mustafa, determined to succeed in the new Syria even with his past as a forced soldier for the Assad regime
Opinion | Trump’s every misstep brings chaos The honeymoon is over for a president who seems to personify the law of unintended consequences, says Simon Tisdall
Culture | A painter in her own write Celia Paul tells Charlotte Higgins about her relationship with Lucian Freud and the struggles of being out of step with the art world
HARPER’S MAGAZINE (March 19, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Social-Skills Crisis’ – Have we forgotten how to work together?; Undercover with New York’s Guardian Angels and The End of Psychoanalysis As We Know It?…
For years, scientists kept the debate about risky virus research among themselves. Then Covid happened. As President Trump prepares to crack down on virology research, the expert community must face up to its own failures.
From cradle to grave, surrogacy to smartphones to gender surgery to euthanasia, Americans are using technology to shortcut human nature — and shortchange ourselves. Here is a new agenda for turning technology away from hacking humans and toward healing them.
Between SpaceX’s breakthroughs and Trump’s inaugural promise, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity. But it can’t be realized as an eccentric’s project or a pork banquet. Here’s a science-driven program that could get astronauts on the Red Planet by 2031.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (March 15, 2025): The 3.16.25 Issue features Extreme Voyages Issue, Evgenia Abrugaeva on the Ice Age bone hunters of Siberia; J Wortham on a 10-day crash course for surviving the Apocalypse; Doug Bock Clark on adventure racing through a hurricane; Sam Anderson on following the path of The Old Leatherman; Sara Benincasa on a trip to the grocery store as an agoraphobe; and more.
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