International

▣ Portrait of a City after Four Years of War: The Courage of Kyiv

The attacks come at night. But once the sun comes up, daily life continues. After four years of war, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv remains defiant. Where does the city's strength come from?

▣ U.S. Historian Robert Kagan: "We Are Watching a Country Fall Under Dictatorship Almost Without Resistance"

The Cold War? Child's play compared to what lies ahead, according to U.S. historian Robert Kagan. Trump, he says, is leading the world into the most dangerous era since 1945.

▣ Nord Stream: How Early Did the CIA Know about the Pipeline Attack?

In 2022, a Ukrainian commando blew up the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline. DER SPIEGEL has learned that the CIA may have spoken to the saboteurs during the planning stage.

▣ Gisèle Pelicot After the Rape Trial: "I Now Allow Myself to Be Happy Again"

The courage Gisèle Pelicot showed during the trial of her rapists made her a hero to women around the world. Here, she speaks about the difficult weeks in court and the source of her bravery.

▣ Ongoing Interactions with Sailing Vessels: The Mysterious Behavior of the Orcas of Gibraltar

For the past several years, orcas off the coast of southwestern Europe have been ramming boats and sailboat rudders for no apparent reason. Why?

▣ Veering to the Right in Silicon Valley: The Two Faces of Mark Zuckerberg

There have always been two sides to the Meta CEO. But since the beginning of Trump's second term, the nice side has taken a back seat. Ruthlessness is now the name of the game.

▣ Injections, Makeup, Stress: The New Religion of Beauty

The beauty boom sells the dream of individuality while making faces more alike than ever. Beyond the glow, gloss and injections lies a hard new currency: appearance as capital.

▣ Former U.S. Security Adviser John Bolton: "We Have Passed Peak Trump"

John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, warns Ukraine against making too many concessions in the peace negotiations. And says that Trump is being manipulated by Putin.

▣ Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: An Alliance of the Illiberal Right with Tech?

former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is traveling the world as a businessman. And he is making sure to maintain his close ties to those with power. Might he be considering a return to politics?

▣ Fast Fashion Exploitation: How the Clothes-Hanger Wars Escalated in Italy

A double murder in Rome shook Italy's Chinese community. The trail led to Prato, the heart of the fast-fashion industry - where workers from Asia are exploited by ruthless companies.

▣ The Public Uprising: Bernhard Poerksen's Critique of DER SPIEGEL's Debate Culture

For the past year and more, media studies professor Bernhard Poerksen has been observing and critiquing DER SPIEGEL. In this final essay, he takes a look back at his work, responds to the hundreds of reader comments he has received and lays out the utopic vision of a "listening newsroom." A guest essay by Bernhard Poerksen

▣ Never Out of Date: How Hannah Arendt Helps Us Understand Our World

Fifty years after her death in New York, Hannah Arendt has become the most popular philosopher of our time. For good reason: Her views are just as timely as ever.

▣ Syria One Year After the Overthrow: The Enigma of Damascus

Twenty years ago, Ahmed al-Sharaa was laying bombs to target Americans. Today, he is received in the White House. But where does the former terrorist intend to lead Syria?

▣ Taking On Ice: A Lone Louisiana Lawyer's Fight against Trump's Deportations

Louisiana is home to a higher concentration of migrant detention centers than almost anywhere else in the country. Many in the region don't seem to mind too much. Lawyer Christopher Kinnison, though, is an exception.

▣ Neil Leifer: "I Thought: Shit, What Will They Think in the Lab?"

Neil Leifer is one of the world’s most famous sports photographers. Here, he speaks of his favorite photograph, the shocking openness of celebrities and the magic of Muhammad Ali.

▣ Israel's Guantanamo: Israeli Treatment of Palestinian Prisons in the Spotlight

Accounts from former prisoners and investigations by human rights organizations have led to accusations of systematic torture in Israeli detention facilities. At least 98 Palestinians died in captivity. The debate in Israel, however, is focused elsewhere.

▣ Finance Fraud by App: Online Scammers Fueled by Forced Labor in Myanmar

Scammers lure in unsuspecting users with stock trading tips and chat groups before then convincing them to wire money to fake investment platforms. Behind it are entire scam factories full of forced laborers. DER SPIEGEL took a look at how the criminal networks operate.

▣ The "White Tiger" Case: How an Online Search for Friends Ended in Coerced Suicide

Jay Taylor, 13, killed himself on camera after allegedly being driven to do so by a sadistic online group with ties to Hamburg. Here, his parents tell the story of their struggle to save their son.