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Four stories to watch out for in 2026

In 2026, the United States will deepen its military competition by deploying the "Golden Dome" defense shield and relying on SpaceX's Starship to maintain orbital dominance amid rising tensions with Russia and China. Domestically, President Trump will challenge central bank independence by nominating a successor to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell who supports lower interest rates, echoing global political pressures on monetary policy. Simultaneously, the nation will grapple with ideological division over its semi-quincentennial as rival commissions organize conflicting celebrations that juxtapose official historical archives with a politicized "America First" agenda, while Las Vegas hosts the controversial Enhanced Games to normalize human performance enhancement.

How will Japan's prime minister change her country?

Noah Sneider, Rosie Blau, Rosie Bloor

Sanae Takaichi has become Japan's first female Prime Minister, marking a strategic rightward pivot for the Liberal Democratic Party that has already fractured its long-standing coalition with Komeito. Her agenda combines aggressive defense spending, a revival of "Abenomics," and strict social conservatism, while navigating delicate tensions with the United States and historical disputes with Asian neighbors. Although her administration aims to address domestic inflation, the survival of her government faces significant uncertainty due to internal party fractures and public skepticism regarding her right-wing populist appeal.

You spin me right round: Europe’s populists reckon with Trumpism

Jason Palmer, Sophie Petter, Nicholas Pelham

European right-wing leaders like Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen are navigating a strategic split between their initial political alignment with Donald Trump's re-election and the reality of American isolationism clashing with European security needs and domestic public opinion. Simultaneously, escalating US military strikes in Yemen continue to fail in reducing Houthi operational capacity while hardening the group's stance on regional negotiations and risking broader Persian Gulf conflict. In a separate sector, the Christian entertainment industry is leveraging lower production costs and a demand for morally uplifting narratives to expand rapidly on streaming platforms, prioritizing economic profitability over strict biblical adherence.

Sects and balances: a violent flare-up in Syria

Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Gareth Brown, Josh Roberts, Tim Cross

Following the December fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, a violent insurrection led by a former Alawite military council has triggered widespread sectarian killings in Syria's coastal heartland, severely testing Ahmed al-Shara's new government as it struggles to control radical factions while racing against a thirty-day deadline to investigate atrocities. Simultaneously, a global financial pivot is occurring as soaring borrowing costs and maturing low-rate mortgages reverse the investment calculus that previously favored equities, compelling homeowners to prioritize debt repayment over market exposure. In the aerospace sector, Albedo Space is disrupting the market by deploying a commercial satellite constellation in Very Low Earth Orbit to deliver ten-centimeter resolution imagery at one-tenth the cost of military systems, aiming to democratize high-fidelity surveillance for both commercial and limited governmental applications.

With this ring: Trump and Putin omit Ukraine

Trump, Putin, Rosie Bloor, Shashank Joshi, Rachel Lloyd

In a significant geopolitical shift, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin initiated direct diplomatic talks to end the Ukraine war, with a newly formed US negotiating team excluding Ukraine and European allies while signaling a move away from NATO membership guarantees. Simultaneously, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group captured the eastern Congolese city of Goma, prompting a regional military escalation and raising concerns about further advances toward Kinshasa despite a lack of immediate negotiation prospects. In the cultural sector, the *Bridget Jones* franchise is returning with a fourth film that explores themes of bereavement and relatable imperfection, continuing the series' legacy of commercial success and social relevance over two decades.

As a next resort: Trump’s vision for Gaza

Trump, Binyamin Netanyahu, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Anshul Pfeffer, Avantika Chilkoti

Donald Trump's proposal to economically redevelop the Gaza Strip by relocating its two million Palestinians has drawn immediate rejection from Arab foreign ministers and the governments of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, while garnering ecstatic support from Israeli far-right figures. Analysts widely characterize the plan as practically unfeasible and morally indefensible, suggesting it may serve as a political distraction for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than a viable diplomatic strategy. Simultaneously, rising tensions over the 1943–1944 Volhynia massacres threaten to strain Poland-Ukraine relations, while global baby industry spending surges despite demographic shifts and economic constraints.

The Peking order: Can China’s army surpass the US?

Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Shashank Joshi, Avantika Chalkoti, Anne Rowe

At the Zhuhai Airshow, China officially debuted the J-35A stealth fighter and new drone vessels while signaling a strategic pivot toward quality over quantity to achieve military parity with the US by 2049. Despite retaining advantages in carrier experience and AI, American forces face a narrowing gap in hypersonic capabilities and vertical launch system numbers that analysts predict China will surpass by 2026. Concurrently, the global luxury e-commerce sector is undergoing a contraction driven by macroeconomic pressures, prompting major players like Farfetch and Net-a-Porter to be sold or restructured as consumers shift toward in-store experiences and direct brand channels.

Follow the leader: who will run Hamas?

Rosie Bloor, Gareth Brown, Rebecca Jackson, Anne Rowe

Following the killing of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, Hamas faces a critical leadership vacuum while weighing a transitional council against potential successors like the Iran-aligned Khalil al-Hayya or the Turkey-aligned Khalid Mashal. Concurrently, Kamala Harris navigates a fragile Georgia election strategy amidst significant erosion of Black male support, countering economic anxieties with policy proposals on housing and the child tax credit. Meanwhile, the death of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen closes the chapter on a decades-long power struggle that destabilized Turkey's institutions through a vast network of schools and the fallout from the failed 2016 coup attempt.

Keir eye for the FDI: an interview with Britain’s PM

Keir Starmer, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Matthew Holhouse, Jeff Carr, Rebecca Jackson

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer launched an International Investment Summit aiming to reverse the UK's decades-long low investment status by streamlining bureaucracy and integrating the Office for Investment directly into Number 10 under Poppy Gustafson. While the strategy offers planning reforms and policy predictability to attract capital, it simultaneously introduces stricter labor market regulations and potential capital taxes through the Employment Rights Bill and October budget. This economic pivot seeks to balance investor needs with worker protections to stimulate productivity, though critics note the risks of a more regulated environment offsetting planning benefits.

Ground assault: Israeli forces invade Lebanon

Rosie Bloor, Greg Karlstrom, Noah Snyder, Andrew Palmer

Israel has initiated a targeted ground incursion into southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and facilitate the return of displaced residents, a move supported by the Biden administration only under strict conditions of limited scope. Simultaneously, Japan's political landscape has shifted as Ishiba Shigeru secured the prime ministership through an unprecedented nine-way contest, signaling a pivot toward conservative liberal policies despite facing an unstable coalition. While these geopolitical maneuvers reshape regional stability, separate corporate commentary highlights the detrimental impact of mandatory "sandwich lunches" on workplace efficiency and employee well-being.

Spring a leaker: Assange goes free

Assange, Peter Navarro, Donald Trump, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Shashank Joshi, Simon Rabinovich, Varinia Sardines, Lizzie Peet, Mei Liao, Melanie Bartelm, Becca Milstein

Former Wikileaks founder Julian Assange secured a plea deal with the United States to avoid prison time for disclosing classified documents on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the 2016 election, ending a seven-year legal saga that raised concerns over journalistic freedom under the Espionage Act. In the realm of economic policy, former Trump advisor Peter Navarro is championing a protectionist agenda for a potential second administration that prioritizes aggressive global tariffs over subsidies to counter Chinese influence, despite widespread expert criticism regarding the inflationary impact on consumers. Simultaneously, a luxury shift in the American food market has rebranded canned fish as a premium consumer good, driven by social media influencers and nostalgic packaging to push sales of high-end tins to over $3 billion while challenging traditional perceptions of canned goods as mere hardship rations.

How AI is generating a revolution in entertainment

Alfie, Ankit, Tobias, Harry Yeff, Marcus Hutton, Tom Wainwright

The event details how artificial intelligence is reshaping the music, film, and entertainment industries through data-driven discovery, generative creation tools, and predictive analytics like Cinelytic. While these technologies promise trillions in economic growth and lower barriers for under-resourced creators, they simultaneously spark significant labor disputes over job displacement and intense legal battles regarding copyright and consent. Stakeholders remain divided on whether these advancements will ultimately enrich human creativity or lead to a market flooded with derivative content.

Why the baby business is booming

Jessica, David Smotrich, Nima, Hamish, Alan White, Nick, Emma, Catherine Wade, Mian Ridge

Valued at over $14 billion with projections reaching $130 billion, the global surrogacy industry is rapidly expanding due to rising infertility rates and restrictive laws in home countries that drive demand toward unregulated hubs. While the United States and Ukraine have historically served as major centers, tightening regulations in Asia and safety crises in Africa have forced a geographic shift that exposes gestational surrogates to severe exploitation and high maternal mortality. Experts now advocate for comprehensive international legal frameworks to replace bans with regulated standards, ensuring protections for children, intended parents, and surrogate workers across a market spanning costs from $30,000 to $200,000.

Who is Elon Musk and what drives him?

Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Jack Ma, Tom Standage

Elon Musk transformed his $180 million PayPal exit into dominant market positions for Tesla, which accelerated the global electric vehicle transition, and SpaceX, which now supplies the majority of global launch capacity. His 2022 $44 billion acquisition of X involved mass layoffs and controversial moderation policies that have sparked geopolitical conflict-of-interest debates regarding his influence on international relations. While critics question the risks posed by his unpredictable leadership style, Musk remains the sole operator of X and the driving force behind his companies' ambitious goals to address existential threats.

The biggest bank heist in history (and why you've never heard of it)

Nicolas Pelham, Hussein Kanbar Agha, Jonathan Beckman, Mustafa Kadhimi, Mohammad Soudani, Thea Jahar-Lafda

In August 2022, a systematic theft of $2.5 billion from the Iraqi General Commission for Taxes was exposed, with the central plotter Noor Zahair bypassing official controls to distribute funds to five shell companies. Although Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi's administration initially arrested Zahair as part of a political maneuver against the pro-Iranian Fatah Alliance, the subsequent government collapse led to Zahair's release and the issuance of arrest warrants for the investigators. The operation exemplifies a broader pattern of grand corruption where the majority of the stolen cash remains missing and is allegedly reinvested into Baghdad's construction boom while key figures evade lasting legal consequences.