Summit on Ukraine and Security in Europe in Paris, France

Europe

The nightmare of a Trump-Putin deal leaves Europe in shock 

At an emergency meeting in Paris there are splits on sending troops to Ukraine 

Founder of Alibaba Group Jack Ma.

Business

Xi’s rehabilitation of Jack Ma may be the most lucrative ever

Why China’s leader is making nice with the country’s tech billionaires


International

Will it be Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow?

How Donald Trump’s about-turn in Europe will affect Asia





The world in brief

America and Russia concluded four hours of talks in Saudi Arabia, during which they discussed the war in Ukraine; Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, was not invited...

European leaders clashed in Paris over whether to send troops to Ukraine following any peace deal...

Israel confirmed that Hamas would return the bodies of four hostages on Thursday...

Xi Jinping, China’s president, met top tech executives, including Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei, urging them to “show their talent” and boost China’s slowing economy...


Javier Milei is betting big on an Argentine oil gusher

Its shale fields are on track to yield 1m barrels of oil per day by 2030

Illustration of an aircraft carrier in a shopping cart

Banyan: Can Indonesia make its Top Gun dreams a reality?

An aircraft-carrier is the last thing its navy needs

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves is not alone in inflating her résumé

Politicians around the world have been found to exaggerate or even invent their credentials. It does not always hurt them

Tropo Farms tilapia farm in Ghana

How to go from fish lover to fish farmer

Expanding aquaculture in Africa could have many benefits


Latest videos


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  • The Intelligence

    Why is China pushing to change diplomatic language on Taiwan?


The war in Ukraine

Donald Trump’s assault on Europe

His invitation to Vladimir Putin to make a deal over Ukraine has thrown the transatlantic alliance into turmoil

The United Mining and Chemical Company's Irshansk titanium mine, in Ukraine's Zhytomyr region, Ukraine

America has just tried to grab Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth

Team Trump’s shakedown diplomacy


People walk at Zaryadye park with the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in the background in Moscow, Russia.

Russian inflation is too high. Does that matter?

In a strong economy, price pressure can endure for a long time


Fighting the war in Ukraine on the electromagnetic spectrum

Drone operators and jammers are in a high-tech arms race



Read more on the war in Ukraine

Disrupting the Pentagon

Will Donald Trump and Elon Musk wreck or reform the Pentagon?

America’s security depends upon their success

 Soldiers of the Ukrianian Armed Forces inspect FPV drones

America’s military supremacy is in jeopardy

To win future wars it needs new weapons, new suppliers and a new system of procurement


This digital collage-style illustration depicts a humanoid robot and a businessman fused together. The robot, made of military-like mechanical parts, is launching a missile from its raised arm. The businessman, dressed in a suit with a red tie, appears rig

Defence tech is blowing up Silicon Valley’s beliefs

Hardware is all the rage. So is patriotism


Could a German startup disrupt Europe’s arms industry?

Meet Helsing, Europe’s defence-tech unicorn



Germany’s election

Can Friedrich Merz save Germany—and Europe?

He is on track to win the election, but to fix Europe he will have to fix his country first

Germany’s “business model is gone”, warns Friedrich Merz

Germany’s probable next leader talks about Ukraine, saving the economy and beating the AfD in an exclusive interview


GERMANY-POLITICS-MEDIA

Alice Weidel, Germany’s most vilified—and powerful—female politician

The hard-right AfD co-leader’s popularity (and that of her party) increased as she became more radical


Who is ahead in the race for Germany’s next parliament?

Follow the polls and our prediction model in the run-up to February’s election



The second Trump presidency

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in coordination with the US Customs and Border Protection assisting with the deportation of illegal aliens at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas.

So far, mass deportation has been more rhetoric than reality

A raid in New Jersey highlights the barriers Donald Trump faces

Pro-sanctuary supporters hold placards whilst a demonstrator shows his displeasure with a proposed "sanctuary city" ordinance, as the Los Angeles City Council considers the measure during a meeting at City Hall in Los Angeles, California.

Donald Trump wants states and cities to do as they are told

But local governments are taking immigration into their own hands


Food provided by the USAID  arrives in Bentiu, South Sudan

What happened next at USAID

A textbook case of how not to cut wasteful government spending


Elon Musk is failing to cut American spending

DOGE has so far disrupted everything in government bar the deficit



World news

A Chinese naval ship during naval exercises

Countering China’s diplomatic coup

China has turned much of the global south against Taiwan. That could be laying the ground for forced unification

The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with his new government

Hizbullah’s decline is a boon for Lebanon’s new government

But it will not be able to ignore the armed group entirely


The image shows a black judge's gavel resting on a sound block, symbolizing justice or legal authority. The background is red with a halftone pattern, and the faint eyes of Lucy Letby are visible in the background

The Lucy Letby case shows systemic failure and a national malaise

Whether or not the neonatal nurse is guilty of murder, her saga is revealing


A new crackdown is gathering strength in Turkey

Opponents of all stripes are being targeted



Business, finance and economics

This illustration features the Chinese flag in the background, with an upward-trending arrow symbolizing growth. Below the arrow, there are many colorful pills and capsules, suggesting the rise of China's pharmaceutical or healthcare industry. The image co

It’s not just AI. China’s medicines are surprising the world, too

Its firms are at the forefront of cheaper, faster drug discovery

A man in a suit going up an escalator made of glowing mesh material. It represents AI in the workforce. Two workers, on in a suit and one in a blue overall are at the bottom of the escalator, unable to take it to go up.

How AI will divide the best from the rest

Optimists hope the technology will be a great equaliser. Instead, it looks likely to widen social divides


A woman browses Chinese clothing on sale in Bangkok, Thailand

South-East Asian producers are being hammered by Chinese imports

Deep ties with China stymie a protectionist response


Buttonwood: Why you should repay your mortgage early

For the first time in decades, the arithmetic suggests settling housing loans



Other highlights

Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

What explains the enduring appeal of Bridget Jones?

From spawning “chick lit” to becoming a Gen Z icon

Patrick Schwarzenegger in Season 3 of "The White Lotus"

Escapism and fear made “The White Lotus” a pandemic-era hit

Now the show about obnoxious American tourists has become a drag


1843 magazine | Why are so many Israeli Jews spying for Iran?

Unprecedented numbers are risking everything to help their country’s bitterest enemy


Does more education lead to less sex?

Trying to make sense of the sexual “degree divide” in America



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Edition: February 15th 2025

Battle for the Pentagon


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Special reports: January 11th 2025

The Africa gap

The economic gap between Africa and the rest of the world is getting wider, says John McDermott


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  • Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration as America’s attorney-general