Shah caller: Iran’s protests are different this time
Demonstrations are growing once again—but this time the message is notably different, and the regime has little means available to calm tensions. Where will it end? Our World Ahead series lays out wha...
9 Jan 27min
Oil pressure: America’s tanker seizures
It had real dramatic elements: a (slow) chase scene, faked locations, a literal false flag, a daring helicopter descent. But what is the broader picture of America’s bid to disrupt the Venezuelan-oil ...
8 Jan 22min
In the line of fires: LA’s ashen suburbs one year on
We return to the Los Angeles suburbs that were consumed by wildfires a year ago. The varying rebuilding efforts reveal divides in wealth, but also strains in California’s insurance industry. Never min...
7 Jan 24min
Xi’s not there: what China’s Venezuela response reveals
The countries have a decades-long relationship—debt freely given in one direction and plenty of oil sold in the other. Yet America’s intervention has served as a reality check on China’s power in Vene...
6 Jan 20min
Nicolás caged: what next for Venezuela?
America’s National Security Strategy, released a month ago, suggested the administration’s focus was on dominance of the western hemisphere. But no one expected its first move would be a special-force...
5 Jan 24min
State of the art: Chinese market flounders
Property wealth in China turbo-charged investment in art. Now house prices have crashed, art sales may follow. Are Britons really leaving the country in droves? And our obituaries editor on the death ...
2 Jan 21min
What in the world: predictions for 2026
The editor of our annual “World Ahead” publication predicts the themes and events that will dominate the headlines in 2026, from geopolitics to tech. He also admits what we got wrong last year. And Th...
1 Jan 19min
Years ending: notable lives lost in 2025
Today’s show is a tribute to those whose lives we remembered this year. From Pope Francis, the most open-minded pontiff for decades, and controversial vice-president Dick Cheney, to champ of the chimp...
31 Dec 202522min
