One woman sold more books than her husband. He forced her into hiding This piece is anonymous because the writer is under constant threat from her former partner. We know she is a woman, we know she sold some 20,000 copies of her first two published books, and we know she also juggles being a mother and having a teaching job. And we know that when she got the contract for her third book, her partner got mad. He is also a writer, but his books didn’t sell. “Your mama … gets away with too much … ” is the chilling phrase the author’s partner used when he threatened her, forcing her and her daughter to go into hiding. This testimony of the high cost of a woman’s success is compelling reading. (Irene, First 1,000 Days correspondent) Longreads: ‘Whatever happened to _________?’ (Reading time: 10 minutes)
How to build a nation of cyclists For those of you who have never been to the Netherlands (I hadn’t before joining The Correspondent), life there is ... different. The Dutch have embraced bicycles like almost no other country in the world. That’s easy, you might think – it’s a flat country. Well, the Dutch Cycling Embassy account on Twitter gives daily insight into how the Dutch did it, and it’s not that easy. But it’s also not impossible, which is why you should follow it for all your bicycle-related inspiration needs. (Eric, Climate correspondent) Twitter: Dutch Cycling Embassy (reading time: as long as you want!)
The water wars It is often said that the next world war will be about water. And as we speak, Egypt and Ethiopia are in a major dispute over access to the Nile river’s vital water resources. In this amazing multimedia production, Al Jazeera teams up with earth and space scientist Dr Essam Heggy to analyse the impact of mega-dams on the Nile – both on the environment and the region’s geopolitics. Using beautiful satellite images and graphs, this piece shows how crucial water access truly is. There are also some fun mini-quizzes. Can you guess how self-sufficient your country is in terms of water? I was off by about 80%. (Maite, Migration correspondent) Al Jazeera: ‘Saving the Nile’ (reading time: 12 minutes)

The best of The Correspondent

Illustration of an old looking postcards stating ‘Greetings from Australia’, covered in smoke and fire From Australia to Chile and Gran Canaria, greetings from the fire frontlines Three countries, three stories of survival. Our postcards from the fire frontlines show how communities have responded to climate disasters. Curated by Sabrina Argoub, with contributions from Jacinta Molina, Matthew Hirtes and Neil Morris Illustration of yellow and orange circles with blue arrows passing around it, symbolising EU money streams Europe’s great migration illusion: money that creates more problems than it solves Money that should be spent on development is increasingly used to curb migration. But it’s time to end the myth that aid stops people moving – because its consequences can be deadly. Written by Maite Vermeulen, Giacomo Zandonini, and Ajibola Amzat Illustration of sheets of blank papers falling down against a purple background showing legible Brexit handwritten newspaper headlines through the years. One reads: ‘29 Jan 2019: After debate, MPs approve May’s plan B deal’ Brexit by a thousand cuts: after 47 years, the UK leaves the EU with a whimper Don’t be fooled, commemorative coins aside, there isn’t much to celebrate in the UK today. After political deadlock and infighting, Brexit has fractured the trust between a people and their government. Written by Nesrine Malik