Premium summer big reads: CIA torture exposed - 'It will never be out of my head'

Daniel Jones investigated the interrogation methods used by the CIA on suspected al-Qaeda operatives. Photo / AP

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.

US Army Military Police escort a detainee to his cell in Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay in 2001. Photo / Getty Images

Deepfakes: Weta helping Hollywood create the perfect digital human

New Zealand's Weta Digital is the leading effects studio pioneering deepfake technology.

Tim Bradshaw of The Financial Times looks at how these tech advances may help film-makers but could lead to a glut of videos involving politicians or porn.

Weta Digital created the 23-year-old Will Smith clone known as Junior in Gemini Man. Photo / Supplied

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.

Kendra Pierre-Louis of The New York Times looks at what to consider when you're shopping (or thinking about shopping) for clothes.

The environmental impact of our clothing choices extends far beyond our closets and buying fewer items that are more durable and lower impact on the planet. Photo / Jessica Pettway, New York Times

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.

Hwang Wol-geum, 70, left corner, participates in a school trip with other grandmothers and her grandchildren. Photo / Chang W. Lee, The New York Times

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.

Henry Wismayer of The New York Times jumps on board.

Lebu Station, on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, marks the western terminus of the new train line in Ethiopia. Photo / Marcus Westberg , The New York Times