El Salvador: The rise of the ‘world’s coolest dictator’

El Salvador: The rise of the ‘world’s coolest...

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Why is Ironman so popular? - The Sunday Story

Ironman ultra-triathlons demand competitors swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and then run a full marathon, paying upwards of $1000 for the pleasure. It’s not everyone’s idea of a perfect Sunday, but for its growing base of devotees, it has become almost like a religion. So how di ...  Show more

Inside the Macklemore - Ed Sheeran tour fallout - The Saturday Story

All of Ed Sheeran’s support acts have pulled out of his tour after his opening act Macklemore was dropped for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. So why has this become such a cause célèbre? What does it mean for Ed Sheeran? And what has happened through history when music a ...  Show more

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What’s it like inside El Salvador’s mega-jail?
What in the World

Rival gangs in El Salvador used to rule the streets. It was one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with a really high murder rate. But now its President claims it is one of the safest in the Western hemisphere. How did he do it? By creating a state of exception and arr ...  Show more

Trading criminality for autocracy: El Salvador
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A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a brutal roundup of young men by a wil ...

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104 - El Salvador: The Price of Security
The Red Line

Once the murder capital of the world, El Salvador finds itself grappling with both gang violence and geopolitical shifts. Between 2013 and 2016, murder rates soared due to gang wars and systemic extortion. President Nayib Bukele, emerging from this tumult, removes the safety catc ...  Show more

El Salvador's War on MS-13: Nayib Bukele Goes Hard
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Since 2019, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has smashed the country’s two main gangs, MS-13 and Barrio 18, throwing almost 80,000 people into megaprisons and implementing a harsh but effective “state of exception,” aka martial law. Murder rates have plummeted and, for the first ...  Show more