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

Latest videos

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

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

The World Ahead Europe in 2025

Under its new government, Germany will move to the right

Getting the economy going will be the priority

The World Ahead 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


The World Ahead Business in 2025

Is this the year that Boeing turns itself around?

America’s aerospace giant will hope 2025 is better than 2024


The World Ahead 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

The Trump doctrine: America’s new foreign policy