The Economist

War in Ukraine: whose side is China on?

China officially maintains a stance of neutral sovereignty while its state media enforces strict censorship to propagate Russian narratives blaming NATO and the United States for the conflict. Strategic observers note that Beijing is closely monitoring Western sanctions and military resistance to gauge risks for its own security, particularly regarding Taiwan, while simultaneously leveraging the crisis to distract the U.S. from its primary rivalry in the Asian theater. Despite a shared opposition to Western democracy described as a "friendship with no limits," China remains unlikely to provide direct military intervention or mediation, prioritizing the protection of its economic ties and supply chains over binding commitments to Moscow.

Malala: what Ukraine’s invasion means for girls’ education

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai addressed global crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other regions, emphasizing that war creates irreversible damage and urging leaders to redefine humanitarian funding to explicitly include education. She highlighted a critical digital gender gap exacerbated by conflict and called for strict international dialogue with the Taliban regarding women's rights, advocating for the release of frozen Afghan reserves to support economic recovery. Ultimately, Yousafzai asserted that quality education is fundamental to peace and stability, demanding that current educational bans in conflict zones be treated as urgent global priorities.

War in Ukraine: how far will Putin go?

Putin

Experts warn that Vladimir Putin, viewing the conflict as an existential war against the West, possesses both the willingness and capability to escalate through battlefield nuclear weapons, sabotage of NATO arms depots, and unfounded chemical weapon allegations. While the Kremlin employs grey zone tactics to erode alliance credibility and seeks a negotiated global sphere of influence with Western leaders, Russia simultaneously faces internal fragility marked by rising anti-Moscow sentiment and domestic instability. This dynamic creates a high-risk environment where Russian paralysis and paranoia could precipitate a direct confrontation with NATO or a destabilizing collapse of the Russian state itself.

War in Ukraine: are sanctions working?

Patrick Foulis, Matthew Valencia

Western nations have deployed unprecedented financial warfare against Russia, freezing $630 billion in central bank assets, severing key banking ties from the SWIFT system, and imposing targeted restrictions on Vladimir Putin's inner circle. These measures triggered immediate economic shockwaves characterized by record inflation, currency collapse, and the total failure of Russia's "Fortress Russia" defense strategy. While Moscow's current retaliation remains limited, strategic assessments indicate these sanctions aim to degrade Russian military capabilities over time rather than achieve immediate deterrence or halt the invasion.

War in Ukraine: Kyiv under attack

Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Tim Judah

Russian armored convoys advancing on Kyiv face determined civilian resistance and unexpectedly effective Ukrainian army tactics that have sustained morale despite the scale of the offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky's continued presence in the capital and widespread social media documentation of local defiance have galvanized the population, while tens of thousands of residents have evacuated the city through disrupted rail schedules. Analysts now acknowledge Vladimir Putin's unilateral decision to launch a full-scale invasion, a move initially denied by the international community that has fundamentally altered the conflict's trajectory.

Could Putin really start a nuclear war?

Shashank Joshi

Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's strategic nuclear forces on high alert to deter Western military intervention, a move that Western allies have condemned as reckless yet have chosen not to mirror with reciprocal escalations. While this action signals Russian vulnerability regarding the slower-than-anticipated progress of the Ukrainian campaign, experts assess the risk of deliberate nuclear war as low due to mutual assured destruction, leaving accidental escalation as the primary danger. Consequently, the current geopolitical climate represents the most severe security crisis in a generation, characterized by intense conventional warfare and a critical need to maintain communication channels to prevent unintended conflict.

War in Ukraine: what will happen next?

Shashank, Arkady, Zannie

Experts characterize the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as Europe's most intense war in a generation, driven by explicit objectives to topple the Kyiv regime and risking nuclear escalation through Vladimir Putin's aggressive rhetoric. While Western nations have implemented sanctions rooted in shared values, analysts warn that perceptions of insufficient deterrence and potential cyber warfare could test NATO's Article 5 thresholds and exploit alliance fissures. The conflict represents a decisive geopolitical moment with downstream consequences likely to redrawing the European map, weakening Baltic defenses, and forcing China to choose between its non-interference principles and its alliance with Moscow.

War in Ukraine: what’s happening in Kyiv?

Richard Ensor

Following Vladimir Putin's declaration of a "special military operation" driven by stated goals of denazification and nuclear threats, Russian forces launched a sudden invasion that has disrupted civilian life in Kyiv and triggered mass evacuations toward Poland. In response, President Zelensky has armed citizens for defense while maintaining order through the National Guard, even as the country braces for prolonged combat and severe Western sanctions. The conflict has already precipitated a growing refugee crisis in neighboring nations and raised concerns among international observers regarding the potential for extensive civilian casualties and urban destruction.

Green building: can mushrooms help?

Oliver Morton

Addressing the construction sector's contribution of 11% to global CO2 emissions, experts are evaluating alternatives to carbon-intensive concrete such as sustainably sourced wood and emerging materials like mycelium. While renewable energy-powered aluminum and flexible architectural designs offer promising pathways for decarbonization, significant barriers remain, including wood price volatility and the structural limitations of biological composites in terrestrial environments. Consequently, achieving global sustainability goals requires distinct strategies for developed nations versus emerging economies, where the informal nature of the industry necessitates government intervention in high-density housing to effectively reduce per-capita greenhouse gas output.

Ukraine and Russia: what is really going on?

Shashank Joshi

By February 2022, Russian forces had surrounded Ukraine from three sides, prompting Western intelligence to assess that Vladimir Putin faces a political dilemma between appearing weak by withdrawing or risking severe consequences by invading. Experts warn that while Ukraine lacks the air defenses to halt a full-scale assault, executing a regime-change campaign would trigger a prolonged war with substantial casualties, severe economic sanctions, and potential destabilization of the Russian regime. The crisis has forced NATO to reaffirm its territorial defense mission with new deployments in Eastern Europe and has tested US credibility regarding alliances in Asia, even as diplomatic efforts remain stalled due to a fundamental lack of clarity regarding Moscow's objectives.

How AI can make health care better

Elaine Manor, Dr Keane, Dr Kira Oberne, Patricia Walker, Dr Blackman, Tom Standage

Driven by a critical global shortage of medical specialists and surging vision impairment rates, this event explores how artificial intelligence accelerates diagnostics while simultaneously confronting significant data privacy controversies and algorithmic "black box" risks. Speakers including Dr. Keane, Dr. Kira Oberne, and researchers from the University of Leeds detail innovative solutions such as privacy-preserving switchboard architectures, clinician-developed biomarkers, and ultra-efficient virtual trials that reduce testing costs by over 99% compared to traditional methods. The discussion projects a transition toward AI 2.0 systems that integrate deep physiological knowledge to fundamentally reshape healthcare delivery, promising an eightfold market growth by 2027 if developers and clinicians can successfully navigate emerging accountability frameworks.

How to make computers less biased

Pa Manjang, Parr, Rochelle Farool, Meredith Broussard, Thomas Adams, Tamara Gilkes-Boer

Uber driver Pa Manjang is suing the company for algorithmic dismissal after an automated facial verification system permanently deactivated his account, sparking broader allegations of racial bias in tech infrastructure. This legal action highlights systemic issues where biased training data and lack of diverse testing have led to discriminatory outcomes in sectors ranging from mortgage lending to medical diagnostics. In response, regulators like the European Union are proposing stricter AI oversight frameworks while industry innovators develop tools to detect embedded bias before algorithms impact fundamental rights.

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin

Russia is conducting its largest military buildup in Europe since the Cold War along the Ukrainian border to deter Ukraine from joining NATO and to counter what Vladimir Putin views as a strategic threat to his regime. The conflict, rooted in historical claims of shared statehood and recent geopolitical shifts, has already resulted in 14,000 deaths and entrenched Western opposition against any further forced territorial changes. This ongoing aggression serves as a strategy for Putin to bolster domestic legitimacy and prevent Western democratic influences from sparking similar unrest within Russia.

What are NFTs?

Alice Fulwood, Kevin, Anil Dash, Keshe, Colleen, Quentin Tarantino

Driven by pandemic-era speculation and institutional adoption, the NFT market surged to over $24 billion in 2021, legitimizing digital ownership through major sales by entities like *The Economist* and Sotheby's. While the technology provides immutable proof of provenance for assets ranging from viral tweets to virtual real estate, the sector faces significant criticism regarding intellectual property conflicts, extreme volatility, and environmental costs. Proponents argue this paradigm shift will underpin a broader digital economy by enabling verifiable credentials and tokenized real-world assets, despite current concerns over its sustainability as a purely speculative asset class.

Keeping warm, without warming the planet

Mkwenna, Angela, Max Fordham, Bill Watt, Jon Fassman

Addressing the critical need to triple global heat pump adoption to curb rising carbon emissions, experts are examining divergent national strategies where South Africa's grid instability drives private off-grid solar adoption while the UK navigates high installation costs and insulation deficits for its gas-dependent heating sector. Alongside these immediate efforts, a pilot project in Northern England tests hydrogen infrastructure to eliminate direct emissions, though scalability remains contingent on transitioning from fossil-fuel production to green hydrogen generated by surplus renewable energy. Ultimately, industry leaders and government officials agree that achieving a critical tipping point in the energy transition requires mandatory fossil fuel heating bans supported by state-led insulation programs and substantial infrastructure investment.