1843 magazine

Football

The strange case of the disappearing football team

Nine young men left Ivory Coast to play professional football in Europe. They ended up in the surreal world of Transnistria

Afghanistan

How I became the Taliban’s portrait artist

Afghanistan’s new rulers threatened to execute a British journalist. Then they found out he could draw

Belgrade

“In Moscow I live like a king”: why Russian exiles return

Two friends fled Putin’s mobilisation. What made one go back?

Entertainment

How to get rich (Taylor’s version)

Think you know the story of how Taylor Swift took on the music industry? The reality is more complicated

Cyber-security

Secrets of a ransomware negotiator

When the gangs of the dark web come, most people panic. This man runs rings around them

Desert island risks

The cruise that will get you chased by the Chinese coastguard

China is bullying its rivals in the South China Sea. For some tourists, that makes it a perfect holiday destination

Israel/Palestine

Marwan Barghouti, the world’s most important prisoner

There’s one Palestinian who could help end the conflict. He’s in an Israeli jail

Election 2024

How the Proud Boys are prepping for a second Trump term

They led the charge on the Capitol. What next?

American election

Donald Trump: messiah or naughty boy?

After an assassination attempt, many Republicans see their nominee as the resurrection and the life

Ukraine

The rage of Ukraine’s army wives

Two years ago their husbands signed up to defend their country. They still have no idea when they will come home

Politics

America’s gerontocrats are more radical than they look

A conservative writer argues that his country’s rulers exhibit the vices of youth, not old age

British election

Rogue otters and vicious letterboxes: on the campaign trail in the Outer Hebrides

The remote Scottish constituency has all Britain’s problems but worse