Oil refinery in Venezuela

Business

Venezuela presents a big headache for big oil

It has been decades since the industry relished foreign-policy entanglements


A US flag hanging from the rafters at the assembly line at the General Motors assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.

Finance & economics

America’s missing manufacturing renaissance 

Donald Trump’s tariffs have hurt the factories they were meant to protect


Europe

A rash of Baltic cable-cutting raises fears of sabotage

But Russian grey-zone attacks may not be the only reason for outages


Prayer session at Power Breakers International Ministries in Accra, Ghana

Ghana tries to regulate online prophecies

It is part of a wider effort to tackle misinformation

Why is Japan souring on foreign workers and tourists?

It is a dangerous attitude for an ageing country that needs more immigrants

Shiitake mushrooms in the cultivation room at Doseology in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada.

Spore of the moment: mushrooms are the latest wellness-food trend

They are being mixed into coffee, cocktails and chocolate


Insider


More on Venezuela

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela

Donald Trump’s great Venezuelan oil gamble

The country has the world’s largest petroleum reserves. Getting them out of the ground will be tortuous


A vendor sells American and Cuban flags in front of loanDepot Park prior to the start of the baseball game between Cuba and the United States.

Cuba’s regime is now in Donald Trump’s sights

Excited Cuban exiles are comparing the capture of Nicolás Maduro to the fall of the Berlin Wall


Venezuelan immigrants in America are trapped in policy purgatory

In Florida Nicolás Maduro’s arrest brings cheers and chills



The World Ahead

Ink drawing of Tom Standage

Article Brand - The World AheadThe World Ahead 2026

Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2026

4 min read

Illustration of a nest with a cracked globe in it that looks like a nest

Article Brand - The World AheadGeopolitics in 2026

The contours of 21st-century geopolitics will become clearer in 2026

6 min read

A red comet going over a city landscape.

Article Brand - The World AheadSuperforecasters in 2026

What the “superforecasters” predict for major events in 2026

1 min read

Article Brand - The World AheadInternational in 2026

Seven conflicts to watch in the coming year

Read more of The World Ahead 2026


Featured story

Pro military signs at the Chang La Pass, Ladakh, India

Holding the line

A fragile thaw at the top of the world

The Economist gained rare access to India’s tense border with China

6 min read

Edition: January 3rd 2026

The angst over affordability


Read full edition