China’s lean, mean AI machine
The world this week
Politics
Business
The weekly cartoon
This week’s covers

Leaders


The dragon in the mirror
Chinese AI is catching up, posing a dilemma for Donald Trump
The success of cheap Chinese models threatens America’s technological lead

Project 1897
America has an imperial presidency
And in Donald Trump, an imperialist president for the first time in over a century
A container ship Gunde Maersk sits docked at the Port of Oakland in California.
Trading losses
Tariffs will harm America, not induce a manufacturing rebirth
Donald Trump’s pursuit of tariffs will make the world poorer—and America, too
illustration of a world map outlined by a single red electrical cord, with a plug at one end and a socket at the other
Power to the foreigners
To make electricity cheaper and greener, connect the world’s grids
Less than 3% of the world’s power is internationally traded—a huge wasted opportunity
Keir Starmer surrounded by the Eu stars
Britain and the European Union
Sir Keir Starmer should aim higher in his reset with the EU
And he needs to be clearer about what Britain wants

Letters

On deportations, alcohol, political perceptions, women in combat, Nordic business, children’s books, corporate hierarchy
Letters to the editor
By Invitation


Covid-19, five years on
Peter Sands of the Global Fund on the pandemic’s positive legacies
Briefing


Uncomfortably close
China’s AI industry has almost caught up with America’s
And it is more open and more efficient, too
Asia

Kashmiri women queue up at a polling booth to cast their vote in the sixth round of polling in India's national election in Lidroo
Electoral goodies in India
Indian politicians are becoming obsessed with doling out cash
Cracking down in Uzbekistan
The fate of a ranting driver raises doubts about the “new” Uzbekistan
Banyan
How to end the nightmare of Asia’s choked roads
Aussie Aussie Aussie
An angry culture war surrounds Australia Day
Courting disaster
Taiwan’s political drama is paralysing its government
China

A man watches live coverage on a TV screen at his store of Chinese President Xi Jinping
Matters of opinion
How (un)popular is China’s Communist Party?
Not as bad as expected
The early days of the Trump administration, as viewed from China
Star signs and tarot cards
It’s a good time to be an astrologer in China
United States

US President Donald Trump signs executive orders during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC.
The quality of mercy
Two presidents compete over the worst abuse of the pardon power
Politics and mercy
Donald Trump has rewritten the history of January 6th
Silk ties
Ross Ulbricht, pardoned by Donald Trump, was a pioneer of crypto-crime
The president’s phoney war
Donald Trump cries “invasion” to justify an immigration crackdown
Into a scrap
To end birthright citizenship, Donald Trump misreads the constitution
Carolina scheming
An unfinished election may shape a swing state’s future
Lexington
America really could enter a golden age

The Americas

A Mexican National Guard member stands guard as migrants form a caravan.
Showdown
Donald Trump is targeting Mexico like no other country
Trudeau? Hardly knew him
The race to lead Canada’s Liberal Party hinges on handling Trump
The last round
Can Brazil’s left survive without Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?
Middle East & Africa

Palestinians newar a burnt-out vehicle after a group of settlers attacked a village in the West Bank
A terrifying knock-on effect
The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank
The Middle East’s wars
Trump should try to end, not manage, the Middle East’s oldest conflicts
Turkey in Syria
How Turkey plans to expand its influence in the new Syria
The world’s first WhatsAppocracy
Government by social media in Somalia
Africa v big tech
Three big lawsuits against Meta in Kenya may have global implications
Europe

Polish soldiers in a tank participate in the Canadian Army Trophy tank competition at Adazi Military Base, Latvia
Vigour on the Vistula
How Poland emerged as a leading defence power
Death from above
Russian pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians
Forensic examination
Ukrainian scientists are studying downed Russian missiles
Spend, baby, spend
Germans are growing cold on the debt brake
The Francis and Giorgia show
The Pope and Italy’s prime minister tussle over Donald Trump
Charlemagne
Europe faces a new age of gunboat digital diplomacy
Britain

Rachel Reeves at the World Economist Forum in Davos, Switzerland
A mountain to climb
The Rachel Reeves theory of growth
Brexit at five
Britain’s government lacks a clear Europe policy
Quotient Therapeutics
What a buzzy startup reveals about Britain’s biotech sector
A very British affair
Britain’s brokers are diversifying and becoming less British
A bite of Cockney culture
London’s pie-and-mash shops are disappearing
Bagehot
What an arcane piece of aviation law says about Britain’s government
International

An illustration of a plug and a socket separated but a fence with barbed wire.
Power-sharing
Why don’t more countries import their electricity?
The Telegram
Trump unmasks American selfishness, say cynics
Business

A simple robot face with rolls of cash as eyes. The robot has a smiling mouth and a small antenna on top. The design is minimal, with black outlines on a light background.
Marginal revolution
OpenAI’s latest model will change the economics of software
A bad day for doomers
A $500bn investment plan says a lot about Trump’s AI priorities
Art of the deal, Chinese edition
Donald Trump once tried to ban TikTok. Now can he save it?
Generous benefits
Germans are world champions of calling in sick
Bartleby
Knowing what your colleagues earn
Schumpeter
Donald Trump’s America will not become a tech oligarchy
Finance & economics

A cargo ship with containers near the pier of the seaport. Maritime navigation and shipping in the Arctic. Anadyr Sea Port, Chukotka, Far East Russia.
Breaking the ice
The Arctic: climate change’s great economic opportunity
Danger alert
China’s financial system is under brutal pressure
Buttonwood
How American bankers dodged the MAGA carnage
Yielding results
Has Japan truly escaped low inflation?
American vim
Saba Capital wages war on underperforming British investment trusts
In search of growth
European governments struggle to stop rich people from fleeing
Free exchange
Do tariffs raise inflation?
Science & technology

Cane toad in the pool.
Invasive species
Genetic engineering could help rid Australia of toxic cane toads
Snake bites
High-tech antidotes for snake bites
Donald Trump and the World Health Organisation
America’s departure from the WHO would harm everyone
Wasp evolution
Wasps stole genes from viruses
Well informed
Can you breathe stress away?
Culture

An illustration of two hands holding pencils and writing on each other's sleeves, which resemble books.
Pontificating autobiographies
Sex, drugs or chastity?
Ready to bag it?
Backpacks are, surprisingly, in vogue
Prime time
Henri Bergson was once the world’s most famous philosopher
(Don’t) name that tune
Spotify’s playlists have altered the music industry in unexpected ways
Back Story
Witty and wise, “A Real Pain” is a masterpiece in a minor key
Spies in disguise?
Now it’s all about TikTok. But Huawei led the way
Economic & financial indicators

Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary

David Lynch
What lies behind curtains
David Lynch mesmerised filmgoers with mystery, beauty and horror