The Audio Long Read

Demand for ‘healing’ crystals is soaring – but many are mined in deadly conditions in one of the world’s poorest countries. And there is little evidence that this billion-dollar industry is cleaning up its act. By Tess McClure. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

How two lonely outsiders met online and discovered their passion – planning a massacre at a shopping mall. By Rachel Monroe. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

In February, a gang of armed men took a North Korean official hostage and demanded that he defect. When he refused, their plan fell apart, and they fled. Who were they, and why did they risk everything on this wild plot? By Giles Tremlett. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

How we became suckers for the hard labor of self-optimization. By Jia Tolentino. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

AI and brain-scanning technology could soon make it possible to reliably detect when people are lying. But do we really want to know? By Amit Katwala. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Social media was supposed to liberate us, but for many people it has proved addictive, punishing and toxic. What keeps us hooked? By Richard Seymour. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

People often complain that English is deteriorating under the influence of new technology, adolescent fads and loose grammar. Why does this nonsensical belief persist? By David Shariatmadari. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Thanks to his clever use of social media, he was dubbed the first prime minister of the Instagram age – but after four years in power, cracks in his image have started to show. By Ashifa Kassam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The warmer it gets, the more we use air conditioning. The more we use air conditioning, the warmer it gets. Is there any way out of this trap? By Stephen Buranyi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Fairtrade changed the way we shop. But major companies have started to abandon it and set up their own in-house imitations – threatening the very idea of fair trade. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod