Leaders
The Chinese EV onslaught
An influx of Chinese cars is terrifying the West
But it should keep its markets open to cheap, clean vehicles
Red Sea, Black Sea, South China Sea
America fights back
The war against the Houthis is part of an escalating struggle for the seas
The hole at the heart of the old continent
Why Olaf Scholz is no Angela Merkel
Germany is unable and unwilling to lead Europe
Business and the culture wars
How to cut through the cacophony over DEI
Outrage on right and left obscures both the costs of DEI and the benefits of diversity
Just sign the cheque
“No-strings giving” is transforming philanthropy
The rich can donate their money quickly and wisely
Letters
On America’s media, behavioural economics, Azerbaijan, London, military beards, forecasting
Letters to the editor
Briefing
The car east
Western firms are quaking as China’s electric-car industry speeds up
Expertise in batteries and a vast domestic market give Chinese firms an edge
Britain
Rest in pieces
The housing ladder, 1950-2005
Justice in the mail
Britain’s worst miscarriage of justice sparks outrage at last
The Notional Health Service
Britain’s health-care system looks rather as it did in the 1930s
Cymrunavia
Wales wants to be more like Scandinavia
This sectored isle
Counting Britain’s beauties and leech-bleeders
Europe
A new pecking order
Who is in charge of Europe?
Meet a mini-Macron
The president appoints modern France’s youngest prime minister
Red, black and kaleidoscopic
Germany’s new party on the far left may eat into the far right
Laughter and fear
Ukrainian stand-up comedy has seen a renaissance during the war
United States
First dance, and maybe the last one too
Donald Trump’s Iowa operation suggests his campaign will be formidable
Hospital pass
Joe Biden’s disappearing defence secretary
Middle East & Africa
Inside the strip
Just how bad is it in Gaza?
The hub that once was Gaza
Under a real peace deal, Gaza could be an intercontinental crossroads
The dilemmas multiply
Israel has yet to destroy even half of Gaza’s tunnels
Struggling comrades
South Africa’s support for the Palestinian cause has deep roots
Blight of the Satellites
Can satellite cities help solve Africa’s urbanisation challenges?
The Americas
Cocaine-fuelled chaos
How Ecuador became Latin America’s deadliest country
A new model for Central America?
Guatemala’s new president promises a better sort of government
Asia
Beyond infrastructure
South-East Asia learns how to deal with China
Thumb on the scales
Women’s (in)justice in India
Sheikh, rattle and roll
Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, wins a fifth term
China
Trading threats
China heaps pressure on Taiwan ahead of a big election
No laughing matter
A comical effort by China’s intelligence agency
Special report
Move fast and mend things
The super-rich are trying new approaches to philanthropy
Power to the people
No-strings philanthropy is giving charities more decision-making power
Cut out the middle man
GiveDirectly does what it says on the tin
Nerds and cool kids
The “effective altruism” movement is louder than it is large
Philanthropy
Sources and acknowledgments
International
Gun, boat, diplomacy
Welcome to the new era of global sea power
Business
Silicon lowlands
Does Europe at last have an answer to Silicon Valley?
Labour’s love lost
German farmers and train drivers are scaring the country’s bosses
The other Saudi gold
Saudi Arabia wants to be the Saudi Arabia of minerals
Negative spillovers
Is Harvard Business School too woke?
Can’t exit emergency
Faulty door plugs open old wounds at Boeing
Finance & economics
Steel yourself
Xi Jinping risks setting off another trade war
Changes unseen
A guide to the Chinese Communist Party’s economic jargon
Science & technology
Slippers in the Oval Office
Heart attacks, strokes, dementia—can Biden and Trump beat the odds?
Climate change
2023 was the hottest year ever
Sharing the skies
Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling
A lift off and a loss
An American rocket has a fine debut; not so the Moon lander on board
Culture
Treasure quest
Inside the hunt for Ukraine’s stolen art
Classical music and conflict
Two Arab-Israeli musical initiatives reckon with the war in Gaza
Superhero films
Marvel seems to be losing its powers
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary
Wind, sand and stars
Mike Sadler guided the first SAS raiders through the North African desert
By Invitation
The Economist explains
The Economist explains
How the Iowa caucuses are changing in 2024
The Economist explains