The Economist | Independent journalism
From the gilded age to the golden age | The new American imperialism
Donald Trump is the first president in more than 100 years to call for new American territory—including Mars
Business
Donald Trump’s America will not become a tech oligarchy
Reasons not to panic about the tech-industrial complex
The Americas
The race to lead Canada’s Liberal Party hinges on handling Trump
Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are the frontrunners
Middle East & Africa
Turkey is determined to expand its influence in the new Syria
That could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel
The world in brief
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said his country had launched a “large-scale and significant military operation” in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, to “eradicate terrorism”...
Two dozen Democrat-run American states and cities joined lawsuits seeking to block Mr Trump’s attempt to end “birthright citizenship”...
The chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said he would leave his post in March...
One day after Mr Trump assumed office Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, spoke to Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, in a video call lasting over 90 minutes, according to Russian state media...
Peter Sands of the Global Fund on the pandemic’s positive legacies
New vaccines got most of the attention but there’s a lot more to celebrate
Back Story: Witty and wise, “A Real Pain” is a masterpiece in a minor key
Jesse Eisenberg’s deceptively slight film asks big moral questions
High-tech antidotes for snake bites
Genetic engineering and AI are powering the search for antivenins
London’s pie-and-mash shops are disappearing
Blame higher rents and changing tastes
World news
Banyan: Can Donald Trump maintain Joe Biden’s network of Asian alliances?
Discipline and creativity will help, but so will China’s actions
Canada has adopted assisted dying faster than anywhere on Earth
The province of Quebec now allows those with deteriorating illnesses to request an assisted death in advance
Russian pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians
Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones
Much of the damage from the LA fires could have been averted
The lesson of the tragedy is that better incentives will keep people safe
Business, finance and economics
OpenAI’s latest model will change the economics of software
The more reasoning it does, the more computer power it uses
One of the biggest energy IPOs in a decade could be around the corner
Venture Global, a large American gas exporter, is going public
Britain’s government has spooked markets and riled businesses
Tax rises were inevitable. Such a shaky start was not
Rising bond yields should spur governments to go for growth
The bond sell-off may partly reflect America’s productivity boom
The Trump administration
Tulsi Gabbard, Sean Penn and the hunt for an American hostage
A controversial trip to Syria in 2017 produced a possible sighting of Austin Tice, an imprisoned journalist
Trumpism is becoming more pragmatic, argues Reihan Salam
But not all of the incoming president’s backers buy it
How far will Donald Trump go to get rid of illegal immigrants?
It is his signature policy, but the obstacles are daunting
How hard is it to run the Pentagon?
A look at the responsibilities Donald Trump is giving to Pete Hegseth, a former platoon leader
More highlights
Greg Gutfeld, America’s most popular late-night host, rules the airwaves
The left gave him his perch
The year ahead: a message from the CEO
From the desk of Stew Pidd
Ethiopia gets a stockmarket. Now it just needs some firms to list
The country is no longer the most populous without a bourse
Can you breathe stress away?
Scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The World Ahead 2025
Europe in 2025
Under its new government, Germany will move to the right
Getting the economy going will be the priority
Africa in 2025
Africa will have some of the fastest-growing economies in the world in 2025
Several fast-growing economies show that not everyone is having a lost decade
Business in 2025
Is this the year that Boeing turns itself around?
America’s aerospace giant will hope 2025 is better than 2024
Culture in 2025
China’s ultra-short dramas will enjoy long-term success
Entertaining and innovative, micro-dramas are flourishing both at home and abroad in 2025
Russia and the world
What North Korea gains by sending troops to fight for Russia
Resources, technology, experience and a blood-soaked IOU
India’s Faustian pact with Russia is strengthening
The gamble behind $17bn of fresh deals with the Kremlin on oil and arms
Time is not on Russia’s side, argues Finland’s foreign minister
Elina Valtonen calls for a lower oil-price cap and tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet
Finland’s seizure of a tanker shows how to fight Russian sabotage
The growing threat to undersea cables demands a robust response
Stories most read by subscribers
Featured read
Are big cities overrated?
New economic research suggests so
Edition: January 18th 2025
The Trump doctrine: America’s new foreign policy
Donald Trump: deporter-in-chief
Could a man who makes ugly promises of mass expulsion actually fix America’s immigration system?
Five reasons to fret about the EU
Europe is at its most vulnerable in decades
Battle and the sexes: women in combat
Donald Trump’s nominee for defence secretary wants women off the battlefield
Putting a price on Greenland
An American purchase of the territory could be the deal of the century
The World Ahead 2025
Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation
The perils of the world’s third nuclear age
The South China Sea could become a major flashpoint in 2025
Pressure to migrate is increasing—but so is the backlash
India’s economy will soon overtake Japan’s
The year ahead will be perilous for Emmanuel Macron’s government
How the world lines up, from wars to whales
Special reports: January 11th 2025
The Africa gap
The economic gap between Africa and the rest of the world is getting wider, says John McDermott
The economic gap between Africa and the rest of the world is growing
Africa is undergoing social change without economic transformation
Africa has too many businesses, too little business
African elites should align themselves with their countries’ needs
The African investment environment is at its worst in years
To catch up economically, Africa must think big