Europe’s populist right
The world this week
Politics
Business
The weekly cartoon

Leaders

On the rise
Can anyone stop Europe’s populist right?
Apocalyptic warnings by mainstream politicians are doomed to fail
A U.S. Army patch on the uniform of an American soldier
The national security strategy
More reasons for America’s friends to plan for the worst
A strategy that scorns Europe, bullies Latin America and is vague on Asia
An illustration of a shipping container in a stack of banknotes.
The global economy
Don’t fear China’s trillion-dollar trade surplus
It is a problem not for the rest of the world, but for China
Illustration of a gavel hitting an orange hand.
A major question
America’s Supreme Court should strike down Donald Trump’s tariffs
The judges’ credibility is at stake
Ezra Miller as The Flash, on set, 2017
Entertainment
The battle for Warner Bros is a prelude to the real streaming war
Professionally made shows face tough competition from independent makers

Letters
A selection of correspondence
Has repression in Iran been curtailed?
By Invitation

Make Europe Centrist Again?
It’s time Europe got to grips with the MAGA challenge, writes Mark Leonard
Briefing
A photo collage featuring a serious portrait of Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, combined with images of both pro- and anti–far-right protests, alongside visuals symbolising Britain’s industrial decline.
Right riveting
The populists of Reform UK, already topping the polls, may climb higher
Claims that it has hit a ceiling are probably wishful thinking
A photo collage featuring Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla and Björn Höcke, leaders of Germany’s AfD, combined with images reflecting the country’s social and political tensions, including immigration pressures and signs of industrial decline.
Growing without restraint
The Alternative for Germany is the leading party in some German polls
Despite retaining its far-right positions
A photo collage featuring Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, leaders of France’s National Rally, combined with images of various protests, alongside visuals symbolising France’s own economic strains and industrial decline.
Preparing for power
Once a pariah, the National Rally is now France’s most popular party
It could win the presidency in 2027 or parliamentary power even sooner
Asia
Aerial view of the housing complex in the Jatinegara district in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Agglomerate this!
Why many Asian megacities are miserable places
So much for Trump the peacemaker
Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia breaks out again
Dodgy outfits
Australia’s hard right is resurgent
Banyan
How did one airline bring Indian aviation to its knees?
China
A crystal ball with a factory inside it. A golden dragon is surrounding it.
Not so self-reliant
The meaning of China’s record-high trade surplus
Weighing the threat
Hedging against Trump, Canada reconsiders ties with China
A persistent craving
Why do so many Chinese still smoke?
The pain of the doghouse
China knows how to punish countries that offend it
United States
Illustration of Trump's profile with a gavel and Warner Bros logo in it with Netflix and Paramount logos next to it
The war over independence
The Supreme Court is handing Donald Trump more power
Paradise lost?
Miami elects a new mayor at a pivotal moment
Spies and narcos
How much does America know about its boat-strike targets?
Point of contact
College campuses have become a front line in America’s sports-betting boom
Dr Feelbad
American doctors are rich and miserable
Lexington
All hail “The President of Peace”

The Americas
The illustration is showing a portrait of José Antonio Kast on a blue and red background
The future of Chile
José Antonio Kast is Chile’s probable next president. How will he govern?
Good Morning, Puerto Rico
How the “Donroe Doctrine” is changing Puerto Rico
Chainsaw politics
MAGA’s man in LatAm
Middle East & Africa
An aerial view of the over 650 kilometers long railway line from Simandou to Morebaya port in Guinea
The promise of Simandou
A giant iron-ore mine could bring Guinea riches or ruin
A peace deal without peace
Donald Trump has not ended conflict between Congo and Rwanda
Sorry states
Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis
No time like sometime
A window of opportunity for reform in Lebanon is closing
A dangerous border
Israel refuses to withdraw from Syria
Europe
A pedestrian walks past a mural depicting a Russian general and a cadet in Moscow, Russia
Biting the bullet
Russia is not as resilient as it wants you to think
Working the bouncers
Albania is trying to charm its way into the EU
Stumbling towards peace
Talks stall between Turkey’s government and the Kurds
From Russia with gas
Europe bans Russia’s gas exports, but still buys its gas-based fertiliser
One battle after another
Ukraine struggles to cope with America’s destructive peace plans
Rolling crisis
Ukraine’s trains, the country’s lifeline, have money problems
Britain
Women drinking brightly coloured drinks in Morelli's Cappuccino Bar, Broadstairs.
Contact with reality
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has moderated in office
’Tis the season to be stingy
Britain’s pitiful Christmas bonuses
ChatPC
Why Britain’s police forces are taking to AI
Changing the subject
A new breed of quizzer is wresting control of an old hobby
Ewe-turn
What’s behind the revival in the price of British wool
Bend it like Barnet
Pro-growth sports fans are getting organised in Britain
International
President Donald Trump speaks with members of the military at Fort Bragg in North Carolina
America First foreign policy
Inside the fight for MAGA’s foreign policy
The Telegram
What’s worse for innovation: MAGA or Mao?
1843

Luxury
The Hermès heist: how an heir to the luxury dynasty was swindled out of $15bn of shares
Business
Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, United States
That’s not all, folks!
Netflix and Paramount are battling for more than Warner Bros
Bot and sold
How AI is disrupting shopping
The Nvidia way
Donald Trump’s flawed plan to get China hooked on Nvidia chips
Nannying the internet
From social media to porn, age checks are spreading across the web
Speeding downhill
Vietnam’s EV champion is bleeding cash
Bartleby
A short guide to every business-hotel room
Schumpeter
Oracle and the hard truths about software
Finance & economics

Muito bom
Which economy did best in 2025?
Deal season
Wall Street is drooling over bank mergers
Interest rates
America’s bond market is quiet—almost too quiet
Cheap shots
What a stiff drink says about China’s economy
Buttonwood
Asia’s inexpensive AI stocks should worry American investors
Free exchange
Germany has a lawyer problem
Science & technology
Five wireframe hands extend outward, each holding an icon—a plane, calendar, restaurant, shopping cart, and car—against a blue and yellow gradient background.
Intelligent agents
The next version of the web will be built for machines, not humans
Head to head
The Chinese rocket industry takes off
Sparks will fly
Humans were lighting fires from scratch a lot earlier than previously thought
Well informed
Why hangovers get worse as you get older
Culture
An illustration of a smiling woman in a kitchen wearing a red apron that reads "MABA" and cutting into a pie.
Make America Bake Again
The apple-pie-scented world of conservative women’s media
Climbing the Tower of Babel
The race to translate the Bible into every language by 2033
Art and exile
India’s best-known artist gets his own museum—in Qatar
Strike a chord
The best albums of 2025
A decent proposal
Proposing this Christmas? Go for a yellow-gold ring
Back Story
Every sheet of wrapping paper tells a story
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary
Frank Gehry in front of his latest creation, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas
Plywood, titanium and light
Frank Gehry shook up buildings as never before