Silva’s mettle: Brazil’s newish president
Our Brazil correspondent surveys the state of the country, as Lula assumes the presidency precisely 20 years after his first inauguration. We ask why America’s armed forces are facing recruitment stru...
5 Jan 202325min
We need to balk about Kevin: Congress opens in chaos
Republican control of America’s House of Representatives began in chaos: they failed to elect a speaker, the first time in a century that’s happened. China’s fishing fleet is the world’s largest—and a...
4 Jan 202326min
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
