The Economist

The Economist is a global weekly magazine written for those who share an uncommon interest in being well and broadly informed. Each issue explores domestic and international issues, business, finance, current affairs, science, technology and the arts.

Coronavirus briefs • To 6am GMT February 18th 2021

The world this week

America’s better future • This is the moment for an ambitious attempt to deal with climate change

Another chance • Mario Draghi’s appointment as prime minister is good for Italy and good for Europe

Spactacular • SPACS are a mania—and a useful way to take firms public

Many hands, light work • A lower share of women are in work in India than in Saudi Arabia

Macron’s African mission • France wants to avoid a “forever war” in the Sahel. That will take patience, and allies

Letters

The switch • NEW YORK

Light a candle for the kids • The freeze in Texas exposes America’s infrastructural failings

Marred but at largio • WASHINGTON, DC

Tower of babble • NEW YORK

Under pressure • NEW YORK

Rescued charm • BALTIMORE

Deadly inspirations • CHICAGO

John Kerry, eco-warrior • The former secretary of state is a good pick for what may prove to be a chastening task

The transformer • MEXICO CITY

Tampon tempest • MEXICO CITY

A case of mistaken identity • The failures of Carlos Menem, a conservative caudillo, tarnished liberalism

200m jobs short • MUMBAI

Les Kanaks en marche • WELLINGTON

Suffer the little children • MANILA

General strike • SINGAPORE

The swing to the sultans • As Malaysia’s politicians bicker, its royals gain authority

Sinovacillate • BEIJING

Winter is coming • HONG KONG

How to kill a democracy • America is losing its ability to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Allies are in denial

Which way out? • DAKAR

The case against the prosecutor • NAIROBI

Coconut shy • ZANZIBAR

Oil, toil and spoils • JOHANNESBURG

The agitator • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is mulling another run for the presidency—and espousing better relations with America

Hope and despair • DUBAI

Whatever it takes • BERLIN AND ROME

Variations on a nationalist theme • MADRID

Protection plates • PARIS

Sympathy for the devil • MOSCOW

Dirty politics • Europe’s green wave has a brown undercurrent

Big on clean energy • Britain has decarbonised its grid faster than any other rich country. That was the easy bit

Starmer stuck • The Labour leader is Perfect Peter to Boris Johnson’s Horrid Henry

You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling • ROME, SÃO PAULO AND SINGAPORE

Trafficking dreams • BEIJING

Hard reboot • Can Pat Gelsinger turn the chipmaking giant around?

Musical shares • The latest listing of a major label shows the streaming boom is maturing

Pit stop • KOLWEZI AND PARIS

ICEy conditions ahead • Volkswagen’s boss wants more electric cars—but won’t kill the petrol engine

Culture wars • Anglo-Saxon activist investors want to whip Danone into shape

South Korea’s baby Amazon • SEOUL

Back for good, or bad • Returning to the office will be tricky

Red in tooth and clawback • How to design ceo pay to punish iniquity, not just reward virtue

SPAC invasion • NEW YORK

Rain for the rainmakers • The spac craze will change tech investing

Great expectations

Advantage Amsterdam • BERLIN

Token gestures • Bitcoin grabs the headlines, but the real action...