The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2019 from our premium international syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times of London and Harvard Business Review.
This afternoon we look at the torture of suspected al-Qaeda operatives, deepfakes, how to avoid fast fashion, the South Korean school enrolling grandmothers and a rail journey through Africa.
CIA torture exposed: 'It will never be out of my head'
When Daniel Jones was asked by the Senate to investigate the extreme interrogation of suspected al-Qaeda operatives, he was thwarted at every turn. What he discovered would haunt him forever.
Hugo Rifkind of The Times hears his incredible story.
Deepfakes: Weta helping Hollywood create the perfect digital human
New Zealand's Weta Digital is the leading effects studio pioneering deepfake technology.
ALSO READ:
• Google worried about how good deepfakes are getting
• Can you believe your eyes? How deepfakes are coming for politics
How to buy clothes that are built to last
The environmental impact of our outfit choices are a growing concern because, with the rise of so-called fast fashion, we're consuming and discarding more garments than ever before.
ALSO READ:
• Moral fibre - Stella McCartney and the climate crisis
• The ugly secret behind a hot fashion brand
Running out of children, a South Korea school enrols grandmothers
As the birth rate plummets in South Korea, rural schools are emptying. To fill its classrooms, one school opened its doors to women who have for decades dreamed of learning to read.
Choe Sang-Hun from The New York Times reports.
A remarkable rail journey into the Horn of Africa's past, and future
A new train from the Ethiopian capital to the Djibouti coast offers a desert journey into parts of East Africa that have been off the tourist track.