Downfall: twenty days that did for Rishi Sunak

How did Rishi Sunak go from one of the most popular members of the government to one of the least in a matter of days? Matthew d’Ancona pieces together what happened

P&O all at sea

The decision to sack 800 staff via Zoom and replace them with cheaper agency workers seemed to surprise many. But there were signs of what was to come.

The trials of Alexei Navalny

What does the story of Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya tell us about Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the state of opposition?

Russia’s controversial coach

Kamila Valieva’s Olympic doping scandal has made headlines around the world. But she’s just 15 years old. What about the team of adults surrounding her?

Modi’s warrior pose

Narendra Modi’s dominance of Indian politics is built on a knowing appeal to traditional Indian values: Hindu values. He has turned yoga into an unlikely but powerful weapon in his campaign

The most expensive drug in the world

Zolgensma is a life-saving drug but it costs more than a million and a half pounds per patient. Who decides if the NHS can afford it?

The princess of pop

Britney Spears has rarely been out of the headlines this year. What does her story tell us about pop culture in 2021?

Three dads

Three dads came together this year in the saddest of circumstances; they all had daughters who’d taken their own lives. They turned their tragedies into a story of love and hope.

Where did all the doctors go?

Lots of GPs are leaving the profession, and we can’t recruit or train new ones fast enough to fill the gaps.

Masters of the metaverse

Facebook has just announced that it is creating 10,000 jobs to make a metaverse. A what?

Orphaned by America

Thousands of children were separated from their parents at the US border under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. This is the story of how, five years later, 300 remain lost in a system designed to swallow them

Popbitch

Claudia Williams presents a special edition of the Slow Newscast – on a newsletter that both reflected and reshaped celebrity culture

The meaning of taking the knee

Rarely has a gesture been as misunderstood as taking the knee. We’ve looked into its history.

A star lawyer in the dock

A vaccination anthem

Could Vaxx That Thang Up – a pro-vaccination remake of Juvenile’s 1999 hip hop classic – be the sound of summer 2021?

The rise of REvil and ransomware

Ransomware attacks – taking over computer networks and blackmailing their owners – has become huge business

The Middle East misinformation war

Pressure is growing on Israel and Hamas to announce a ceasefire. Is online misinformation making peace less likely?

The end of Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres has been one of the biggest stars on US television. Why is her show coming to an end?

Cross stitch

How an embroidery charity – beloved by its members – tore itself apart at the seams

Hidden homicides

How many women are being killed – but not counted?

The golden egg

Young women are being offered the chance to delay the menopause. The question is: does it work, and does anyone even want it?