1. Concrete: the most destructive material on Earth
The very substance that much of the world as we know it is built with is a threat to the future of this planet. The Guardian has a long, in-depth profile of concrete, so packed with jaw-dropping facts that it’s hard to pick out a particular one. The piece is from early 2019, but obviously hasn’t lost any of its relevance. Read it now.
2. The shadow commander
«Suleimani is the single most powerful operative in the Middle East today, and no one’s ever heard of him.» That’s what a senior CIA official once said of Iran’s top security and intelligence commander Qassem Suleimani, who US forces have killed yesterday. I have to admit: I indeed haven’t heard of him. Yet his killing might prove to be highly consequential on a global scale. One expert has compared it to the killing of a Vice-President. If you’re interested in hot takes of what will happen next, Twitter has them aplenty. For now, I recommend this older New Yorker profile which wil…