Locks, Sex, and Two Smoking Barrels
During shooting season in the U.K., the most coveted “birds” are bagged at night
Stone-Cold Liar
Why did a respected British M.P. stage his own death? Two new biographies seek to offer an answer
Cardinal Sins
Nepotism, prostitutes, Prada handbags … the Vatican insider who was once Pope Francis’s closest ally is now on trial in a $412 million fraud case
The $41 Million Instagram Scammer
And other curious news about these strange days …
When Your Mother Is a Conspiracy Theorist
Gen Z–ers struggle with how to save parents radicalized by social-media-fueled lies
Stories We Tell
The most erudite man in Italy, Roberto Calasso lived for literature—and re-invented it
The View from Here
Wuthering fights! Will this priceless book collection be preserved or broken up at auction?
King Leer
Why would disgraced monarch Juan Carlos of Spain spy on his ex-mistress? The drama continues …
COVID Social Cues
Soirées, Ascot, and gossip about the new U.S. ambassador are back—but with a ping, not a bang
Booby Trap
Lulu Lakatos allegedly posed as a gem expert, swapping $5.8 million in diamonds for seven pebbles at a Mayfair jeweler
Prophet of the Golden Bull
How did a Bible-reading, Trump-supporting 65-year-old woman become Wall Street’s hottest stock picker?
The Gray Ladies
Watch out, Gen Z—a new crop of over-40 influencers is out to conquer the industry
A Bug’s Life
In the fight to save the planet, the extraordinary lives of insects are going overlooked
Scarlett Johansson Has Women Seeing Red
And other curious news about these strange days …
The View from Here
The Taliban can seize power in Afghanistan again, but this time they can’t turn off the lights
The View from Here
Putin’s absolute rule is challenged by a noisy majority of Russian, woke-hating anti-vaxxers
Sympathy for the Girlboss
Once-celebrated female entrepreneurs are being torn down for “failing at feminism.” Is this progress?
Out-of-Office Reply
Private jets, free lunches, public pleas … can anything get people back in the office?
The King Lear of Wine
In death, one of Spain’s most famous vintners crushes the hopes of his three daughters
Roiling in the Deep
The deep sea has so far managed to evade human intervention. Now mining companies are threatening Earth’s last frontier
Jackie Chan, (Communist) Party Animal
And more curious news about these strange days …
Starry Might
The millennial masses are gaga for Pattern, the uncannily accurate new astrology app
Meghan Markle, Backbencher
And other curious news about these strange days …
A Summer-Camp Horror Story
Why has a man accused of sexual harassment been rehired at a summer camp for the kids of elite New Yorkers?