politics Pope Francis declares death penalty inadmissible Rob Beschizza

COVID-19 Manhattan cathedral has been converted into a field hospital Seamus Bellamy

Technology Russian priests must stop blessing nuclear weapons, says Russian Orthodox Church patriarch Xeni Jardin

History Our olfactory heritage: researcher preserves scents before they're lost forever David Pescovitz

art These are very cool kaleidoscopes John Struan

Games Review / Manifold Garden Rob Beschizza

france Having burnished their reputations with extravagant promises, the billionaires who pledged €600m. to rebuild Notre Dame are missing in action Cory Doctorow

Copyfight Notre Dame's new spire might be copyrighted and blocked by EU filters Cory Doctorow

review Review: Diablo III for Nintendo Switch is the best way to play this much-loved game Seamus Bellamy

russia Russian agents allegedly tried to hack lab associated with Skirpal poisoning investigation Seamus Bellamy

rip John McCain's farewell to America Gina Loukareas

News Church cages Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to protest Trump's ICE immigrant abuse Xeni Jardin

futility closet Diver William Walker spent five years under Winchester Cathedral to restore the building's foundations Futility Closet

novels Interview with Ken Follet about forthcoming 3rd book in Kingsbridge series: A Column of Fire Mark Frauenfelder

literature Jane Austen is the face of Britain's new £10 note Xeni Jardin

Kids Indiana's "educational achievement" bonuses: teachers in rich schools get 20x more than those in poor districts Cory Doctorow

battersea Apple's London headquarters to be housed at Battersea Power Station Mark Frauenfelder

uk Happy Chilcot Day (A Fairy Story) Charlie Fletcher

papercraft Irving Harper – The genius furniture designer created stunning paper sculptures for fun Wink

picks Why medieval monks filled manuscript margins with murderous rabbits Cory Doctorow