Every January our editors start to think about The Economist’s summer issue. Our deeply reported pieces take months to come together, but we also want them to feel timely when they come out. Sometimes, timing works in our favour. Liam Taylor, who wrote a jaw-dropping story about illegal gold-miners who were blockaded underground for months in South Africa, arrived at the mouth of the shaft just as the official rescue attempt was being mounted. 

We have three more 1843 long reads for you to enjoy this weekend. First, discover the world’s toughest exam. Are you brainy enough to get a job on the Indian railways? (The piece includes an interactive quiz so you can find out.) You can also read the story of Omer Shem Tov, who was kidnapped by Hamas and spent 500 days as a hostage. And get to know William Woods, who was sent to a psychiatric institution for insisting that his identity had been stolen. But was he telling the truth all along?