Intended for cremation, 244 bodies are instead harvested for organs and tissue. The story of the families of the dead, the men who profited off the scheme, and the unwitting recipients of black market body parts.

On the rapid disintegration of the ecosystem in Las Vegas.

Three decades ago, Mohamed Siad Barre, commander of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, head of the politburo of the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party and the last ruler of a functional Somali state, built vast concrete buildings all over Mogadishu. The beautiful city on the coast of the Indian Ocean, with its Arabic and Indian architecture, winding alleyways and Italian colonial-era villas, was dominated by these monuments. They were Third World incarnations of Soviet architecture, exuding power, stability and strength. The buildings – like the literacy campaigns, massive public works programmes and a long war against neighbouring Ethiopia in the late 1970s and early 1980s – were supposed to reflect the wisdom and authority of the dictator.

The longtime editor of the London Review of Books on editing, the “fussed” people on Twitter, and “preferential treament” for women.

Inside Rebecca West’s vast Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, an eerily timeless travelogue of the Balkans written on the eve of WWI.

Taibbi on the Tea Party. “After lengthy study of the phenomenon, I’ve concluded that the whole miserable narrative boils down to one stark fact: They’re full of shit.”

A murder involving one of the India’s celebrity couples has mesmerized the country and exposed some of its darkest fears.

On the grifter who made a living forging the signatures of American heroes.

The inside story of the Affordable Care Act.

One man’s stories from the early days of the NBA.

American history begs the question: Can immigrants possibly inherit the mythology of the U.S.?

On the lives of the men who gang-raped a woman on a Delhi bus last year, the life of their victim, and the people left out of India’s growing prosperity.

On the occasion of Hamid Karzai’s visit to the White House, a fever dream tour of the Afghanistan war through the eyes of the leaders who gave birth to its narrative.

The making of a lost generation:

According to the Unicef report, which measured 40 indicators of quality of life – including the strength of relationships with friends and family, educational achievements and personal aspirations, and exposure to drinking, drug taking and other risky behavior – British children have the most miserable upbringing in the developed world. American children come next, second from the bottom.

How Atlanta-born Davido, the son of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, hopes to break the international market with his brand of Nigerian pop.

An artifact from the height of the uproar:

Behind the tawdriest of headlines, there's a woman I wouldn't mind bringing home to mom.

An interview with cinematographer Harris Savides on the enduring appeal of the visual style of films shot in the 1970s.

A new strain of educational thought (and practice) involves embracing the technology of the moment - which means bringing video games into the classroom.

An opinion piece on the structural causes of unrest in Egypt; the business fraternity, globalization, and the fate of Egyptian women.

The trucker blew a stop sign and hit a bus full of teenagers. Now the families of the dead grapple with their capacity to forgive.

The lingering psychological effects of being one of the greatest crime reporters of all time.

A working definition of ‘net neutrality’, a bestiary of the major players, and why the issue isn’t a cut and dry case of good vs. evil.

A profile of Afghanistan’s outgoing president.

On the Dancing Dolls of Jackson, stars of the reality show Bring It! and part of a long Southern tradition of majorette dancing.