The Economist

Why oligarchs choose London for their dirty money

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the British government intensified sanctions to dismantle the "Londongrad" phenomenon, targeting the accumulation of tens of billions of pounds in luxury assets by Russian oligarchs. This strategy confronts systemic vulnerabilities established since the 1950s, including low-cost shell company formations and "golden visas" that facilitated the placement of an estimated £41 billion in empty London properties. Although recent legislative measures have scrapped these visas and introduced a delayed economic crime bill to curb money laundering, critics warn that the UK lacks the sustained political will to address corruption risks from non-Russian sources.

Press freedom: why you should be worried

Daphne Galizia, Avantika Chalkoti, Rana Ayyub, Rebecca Vincent, Matthew, Corinne, Veronika Munk, Sebald Stuhl

Global press freedom is facing severe erosion in both authoritarian regimes and established democracies, evidenced by a rise in journalist murders, the misuse of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), and systemic financial bullying. Prominent cases such as the legal persecution of Indian journalist Rana Ayyub and the consolidation of media under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government in Hungary illustrate how authorities employ subtle tactics to silence critics. In response to these threats, initiatives like the European Commission's directive to dismiss SLAPPs and the creation of reader-funded outlets like Telex demonstrate emerging strategies to maintain independent reporting despite restricted resources and intimidation.

Rape in the British military: women speak out

Rebecca, Emma Norton, Lucy, Jean, Graham House, Anne-Marie Element

Following a 2021 parliamentary inquiry that documented systemic sexual harassment and bullying among British military women through over 4,000 testimonies, the government introduced reforms to strengthen dismissal powers and separate investigations from the chain of command. Despite these measures, conviction rates for rape remain significantly lower in military courts than civilian ones, and critics maintain that the military culture of impunity persists because key recommendations like transferring cases to civilian authorities have not been fully adopted. Consequently, victims continue to face severe psychological trauma and career risks, as the institution's internal incentives prioritize reputation over justice.

Dr Fauci: follow the science

Dr Fauci, Dr Anthony Fauci, Edward Carr, Sasha Nauta

Former NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci reflected on his seven-presidency tenure and the unprecedented polarization he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he prioritized scientific evidence over political alignment despite enduring misinformation and death threats. He described a toxic shift in public discourse that forced him to correct presidential claims, resulting in severe attacks from far-right groups and a disturbing rise in hostility toward the scientific community. Fauci concluded by urging the next generation of researchers to remain engaged in public service to counteract this erosion of institutional trust and objective fact.

Climate change technology: is shading the earth too risky?

Catherine Braille

Proponents of solar geoengineering, including Harvard scientist David Keith, argue that reflecting sunlight into space is a necessary supplement to emission cuts for protecting vulnerable populations from extreme heat, while critics like the Sámi Council and experts such as Raymond Pierre Humbert warn that the technology creates severe ethical hazards, including moral hazard, indigenous rights violations, and geopolitical conflict. Tensions intensified after the Sámi Council successfully pressured Sweden's space agency to cancel a 2021 Harvard balloon test over their territory, highlighting the fundamental disagreement over whether research should proceed to mitigate "termination shock" risks or be halted to preserve global climate action integrity. As scientists explore localized solutions like marine cloud brightening on the Great Barrier Reef, the debate remains centered on establishing equitable governance frameworks to manage the technology's uncertain side effects and potential for catastrophic regional disruption.

Crypto: a beginner’s guide

Mathieu Favard, Alice Fullwood, Helen Joyce

This presentation defines cryptocurrency as a decentralized system using blockchain technology to validate transactions without intermediaries, detailing the mining process that secures networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum. It distinguishes unique assets from standard tokens by explaining Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and traces the origins of industry slang such as "hodler" within the market's volatile culture. The discussion ultimately contextualizes the sector as a complex landscape where technical innovation in finance coexists with significant concerns regarding fraud, environmental impact, and narrative cycles.

War in Ukraine: The Economist interviews Tony Blair

Tony Blair, Zanny Minton Beddoes

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair characterized Vladimir Putin as a detached autocrat who has dismantled Russian democracy to build personal wealth while predicting his eventual downfall and Ukraine's future integration into the European Union. Blair critiqued Western strategic retreat in Africa and the Middle East, arguing that bureaucratic inefficiency has allowed China and Russia to expand their influence despite local preferences for Western ties. He urged Europe to accept short-term economic sacrifices to supply Ukraine with offensive weaponry and warned that the 21st century's defining geopolitical challenge lies in managing the United States' complex relationship with China without pushing Beijing into an alignment with Moscow.

Why the French are fed up (and what it means for Macron)

Macron, Marine Le Pen, Bidon Hosseur, Denis Chatelain, Grégoire Courtois

Emmanuel Macron is projected to win re-election in 2022 despite facing a fragmented political landscape marked by the collapse of traditional parties and a surge in support for populist figures like Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour. Although his administration has delivered rising incomes and a robust post-pandemic economic recovery, three-quarters of French citizens perceive the country as being in decline due to deep-seated grievances over cost of living, immigration, and a perceived disconnect between urban prosperity and rural stagnation. A second term would make him the first French president in two decades to be re-elected, yet governing with a mandate from a fed-up population that views the mainstream options as default choices presents significant challenges for future reform.

Election polling: why is it so difficult?

The presentation traces the evolution of election polling from unrepresentative 19th-century straw polls to modern scientific standards established after the 1936 Literary Digest failure and the 2016 U.S. state-level errors. It details how contemporary forecasting models combine polling data with economic fundamentals and run millions of simulations to generate probabilistic outcomes, a methodology successfully tested during the 2022 French presidential election. Ultimately, the analysis emphasizes that while these models cannot achieve perfect accuracy due to inherent sampling limitations and unforeseen external events, they provide increasingly reliable predictions as historical data accumulates.

Cash from trash: could it clean up the world?

Arthur Huang, Adriane

Amidst global waste generation reaching 2.2 billion tonnes in 2021, the event highlights MiniWiz's economic upcycling of discarded materials into high-value construction modules and the circular economy successes of Taiwan's strict waste management regulations. It contrasts these industrial and municipal innovations with individual behavioral shifts that can reduce household output by 99%, while noting that current technological advancements like the AI-driven Trashpresso address only a fraction of the crisis. Experts conclude that overcoming the dominant linear production model requires a generational shift in societal consumption habits, as only 8.6% of the global economy currently operates on circular principles.

War in Ukraine: The Economist interviews President Zelensky

Zelensky, Zanny Minton Beddoes

Economist editor-in-chief Jeremy Paxman traveled to Kyiv to interview President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the war's trajectory, victory conditions, and critical gaps in Western military support. Zelensky asserts that Ukraine will fight until the last city while criticizing insufficient Western sanctions and inconsistent aid from Germany and the United States compared to the consistent backing of the United Kingdom. The President further warns of potential chemical weapon deployments by Russia and argues that a post-war resolution requires a decisive victory rather than compromises that threaten Ukraine's sovereignty.

War in Ukraine: is a peace deal possible?

Ed, Sally, Zany, Arkady

Ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow remain stalled over the core triad of territorial status, sanctions sequencing, and Crimea's strategic corridor, as Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov lacks final authority to offer concessions without President Vladimir Putin's direct approval. While Ukraine has hardened its stance by rejecting pre-1991 borders and exploring security guarantees akin to Finnish neutrality, Putin's strategy is increasingly driven by domestic consolidation rather than genuine security needs, reflecting a calculated worldview that prioritizes legacy over realistic military outcomes. This strategic deadlock, compounded by Putin's internal miscalculation and the reluctance of his kleptocratic inner circle to risk nuclear escalation, leaves both sides facing a stalemate with no substantive progress toward a comprehensive peace deal.

Sustainable materials: is there a concrete solution?

Nareed, Mazamel, Chris Cheeseman, Michael Ramage

Driven by intensifying extreme weather and the construction sector's 11% share of global carbon emissions, experts are evaluating alternatives to traditional concrete such as Bettila's industrial waste-based cement, hempcrete insulation, and Cambridge University's engineered Cross-Laminated Timber. While these materials offer significant emission reductions and prefabrication efficiencies, their widespread adoption faces hurdles including scalability limits for waste-derived products, mechanical strength constraints for heavy infrastructure, and high upfront costs that conflict with homeowner budgets. As urbanization pushes the global population to 68% by 2050, consumer market pressure remains the primary catalyst for transitioning toward these lower-carbon building solutions despite persistent technical and financial barriers.

Gene editing: should you be worried?

James Dale, Isla Mirada, Natalie Kofler, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna, Josh Lehrer, Denis Rebrikov, Theresa Blankmeyer-Burke, He Zhongkui, George Church

Recent advancements in CRISPR and gene editing have accelerated scientific capabilities for curing terminal diseases, securing food supplies against extinction events like the banana fungus TR4, and controlling disease vectors, yet these tools introduce significant ethical risks regarding bio-warfare, social inequality, and the potential for designer humans. While regulatory frameworks vary globally between the strict bans in Europe and the more permissive approaches in the US and Japan, controversies persist over transparency in field trials and the morality of germline editing, as highlighted by critiques from bioethicists regarding community consent and the normalization of de-extinction projects. Ultimately, experts warn that without robust, transparent governance to balance rapid innovation with safety, humanity risks undermining public trust while failing to leverage these essential technologies to mitigate climate change and ensure future food security.

War in Ukraine: how could this end?

Current Russian military strategy suffers from severe tactical dysfunction and internal instability, evidenced by armored columns lacking infantry support and the recent house arrest of senior FSB officials involved in invasion planning. This dysfunction, driven by Putin's reluctance to admit failure, has escalated domestic risks of preemptive purges within the security apparatus while mounting civilian casualties pressure President Zelensky toward a negotiated settlement. Although the prospect of chemical weapon use or direct NATO confrontation represents the highest war risk since the 1980s, the optimal outcome remains a diplomatic resolution preserving the Zelensky government in exchange for Russian territorial concessions and a NATO neutrality pledge.