Today
Why China is winning the innovation race
Once the world’s factory, Beijing’s relentless focus on R&D means the country has become the world’s laboratory, allowing it to compete against the West.
Yesterday
Why voters should care about Nigel Farage’s schoolyard racism scandal
Opinions and behaviours ascribed to the Reform UK leader and potential PM when he was a schoolboy are so extreme they deserve attention.
Gold is fuelling Putin’s war machine and keeping Russia afloat
Former Wagner mercenaries that have taken control of mines in Central Africa are accused of torture and murder to extend their grip on the trade and protect their claims.
This Month
TV series highlights the deep divisions inside Taiwan
Even imagining a potential Chinese invasion has become a political act, where increasingly febrile discourse pits “warmongers” against “traitors”.
In this Russian-occupied city, all traces of Ukraine are stamped out
More than three years after Vladimir Putin’s troops captured Mariupol in May 2022, the Kremlin is pouring billions of dollars into remaking the port city.
Spooked by kidnappings, bitcoin traders learn to fight back
With the wealthy crypto community shaken by a string of gruesome crimes, including abduction and torture, security firms are rushing to profit from the panic.
November
Are AI chefs the way of the future? This restaurant thinks so
Woohoo in Dubai is betting on artificial intelligence technology to change the city’s culinary scene, with plans to license the software worldwide.
Inside the billionaire network shaping MAGA’s post-Trump future
Chris Buskirk helms Rockbridge Network, a group of wealthy donors that helped fuel Donald Trump’s re-election and aims to propel JD Vance into the White House.
The G2 revival: Trump and Xi to sort out the world’s problems
Australia’s foreign policy is outdated as Donald Trump resurrects the idea of the “G2” and turns his back on the rest of Asia.
The black widows chasing ‘coffin money’ in Putin’s war
In an emerging cottage industry, women are tricking soldiers into marriage to get death payouts. It is predatory opportunism exacerbated by the conflict.
Move over LVMH – Chinese shoppers want homegrown luxury brands
Consumers are losing interest in high-end products from Europe and the US, opting instead for domestically produced jewellery, handbags, clothing and cosmetics.
No lovers on the covers: Romance publisher rewrites the story
Thanks to distinct design, fresh approaches to the genre and the if-you-know-you-know factor, 831 Stories is catching the eye of readers and investors.
How this 31-year-old made $380m in 30 months trading Russian oil
Christopher Eppinger is not the only trader to have made a fortune after the imposition of sanctions against Moscow. But he is almost certainly the youngest.
Why the real target of Trump’s campaign in Venezuela is Cuba
The US president is amassing firepower in the Caribbean to force out Nicolás Maduro, but the ultimate goal may be regime change in Havana.
Amnesia is turning Asia’s tyrants into heroes
Indonesia’s decision to honour former dictator Suharto as a hero is a reminder that when nations forget their authoritarian pasts, they risk inviting them back.
Waymo was on a roll. Then one of its driverless cars killed a cat
The self-driving taxis have become ubiquitous in San Francisco, but an uproar has ensued after one of the vehicles ran over a beloved feline.
The inside story of the greatest crash in Wall Street history
Andrew Ross Sorkin’s compelling new book “1929” takes readers deep into the crash that triggered the Great Depression, and highlights worrying parallels with today.
Iran’s women are finally winning the battle against the veil
Defiance of hijab requirements has become widespread across the country. The government seems wary of cracking down, fearing unrest, but conservatives haven’t given up.
It’s the end of the world on TV – and we can’t get enough
When society feels on the brink – as it currently does, with climate change and the impacts of AI dominating the news, there’s a comfort in apocalypse narratives.
The revenge president. Inside the Trump supremacy
Opponents in disarray, allies in line, followers enthralled – the US president is already on his way to building a new world order.