A man of the people: Pope Francis has died

Tim Cook is stepping down after overseeing 15 years of spectacular growth. We take a look at his successor. Japan’s rural women are disproportionately heading to cities, and their home towns are working hard to lure them back. And a historical examination of boredom, and why Brit ...  Show more

This week’s peace talks are endangered after American forces fired on and boarded a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. We visit Chernobyl’s ruined reactor to assess the damage done by a Russian drone to its enormous safety structure. The likes of McDonald’s and KFC have long bee ...  Show more

He shunned fancy vestments and paid surprise visits to prisons and hospitals: our obituaries editor reflects on the life of a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/04/21/pope-francis-changed-the-catholic-church-but-not-as-much-as-he-hoped?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_mediu ...

As Syrians awoke to a new era, thousands rushed to fling open the <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/12/09/inside-bashar-al-assads-dungeons?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonym ...

As the cardinals of the coming conclave prepare, our correspondent considers what will guide them. <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/04/21/the-coming-struggle-to-choose-the-next-pope?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&u ...

America’s most prominent young conservative was assassinated while conducting one of his signature campus events. His death might only widen political divides. In Asia a broad trend of deflation points to lower prices but unhealthy economies. And what happens when spiritual leade ...  Show more