Ill news, spreads apace: covid in China
The sudden rescinding of zero-covid strictures has, as expected, led to a spike in cases. Our correspondent visits overstretched hospitals and crematoria, and considers what will happen next. Aerial d...
3 Jan 202323min
The dragon chasing: China and a new nuclear order
China’s arsenal of nuclear weapons has swiftly expanded; it is now roughly the size of Russia’s and America’s. That will make for a different—and far trickier—landscape of three-way deterrence. We ask...
2 Jan 202326min
In passing: the notable lives lost in 2022
From Pelé, the “king of football”, to Britain’s longest-reigning queen, our editors and correspondents reflected on the accomplishments of many notable figures who died this year. But our obituaries e...
30 Dec 202234min
Best-of three: our country, books and games of the year
It is that best-of time of year. We outline the case for our country of the year, after an uncharacteristically easy nomination process. Our correspondents explain their picks for the best books of 20...
29 Dec 202221min
Debasement all around: lessons from 16th-century inflation
In 2022 global inflation spiked at a rate not seen in decades. A look at the world’s very first such bout reveals eerie echoes of today’s woes—and lessons for tackling them. Our correspondent meets In...
28 Dec 202228min
Cattle lines are drawn: cows in India
Cows are venerated in India, but precisely how intensely often depends on politics. And being venerated does not necessarily yield a pleasant life for the creatures. Economists rarely consider how pol...
27 Dec 202229min
Land, sea and air: let us move you
In a special episode, our Paris bureau chief witnesses the political divides that become apparent as she switches from France’s famed high-speed railways to forgotten lines. Our culture editor conside...
26 Dec 202228min
An oily sheen: Nicolás Maduro in from the cold
Waves of protest after a stolen election in 2019 came to nothing. Now, thanks to the luck of geopolitics and petro-economics, President Nicolás Maduro is increasingly back in favour. “Peanuts” blazed ...
23 Dec 202231min
