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Top stories

Science & technology

Little is known about the effects of puberty blockers

That has not stopped clinics prescribing them enthusiastically

Leaders

Only 7% of urban Indian women have paid jobs

The government could do much more to help women find work

Middle East & Africa

Does Mahmoud Ahmadinejad want to be president of Iran again?

As the election approaches, he is mulling a run. But the clerics might stand in his way

Finance & economics

Amsterdam’s financial centre gains an edge over continental rivals

Brexit and the IPO boom have bolstered the Dutch side

Graphic detail

Week in charts: America and the climate

Spawning SPACs • China’s slow vaccine roll-out • Another Italian government • France’s forever war

Business

Schumpeter: How to design CEO pay to punish iniquity, not just reward virtue

Firms are increasingly trying to make badly behaved bosses hand their earnings back

Books & arts

The rise and charms of LP bars in South Korea

Tired of your job? Own too many records? Time to open a bar

The search for life beyond Earth

The Economist explains

Why are there so many missions to Mars?

The planet offers hope for the existence of extraterrestrial life, and a chance for countries on Earth to show off

Briefing

The hunt for life hots up

If life exists beyond Earth, science may find it soon

Science & technology

From the archive: Is there life on Mars?

A new generation of spacecraft may soon find out

Christmas Specials

Following the tracks of NASA’s Curiosity rover

A short walk in Gale crater

Weekly edition

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United States

The freeze in Texas exposes America’s infrastructural failings

You ain’t foolin’ nobody with the lights out

Science & technology

Parents of daughters are more likely to divorce than those with sons

But the difference only emerges when the children are teenagers

Finance & economics

Why SPACs are Wall Street’s latest craze

Blank-cheque firms appeal to everyone, from sophisticated financiers to sportsmen

Graphic detail

Data on inbred nobles support a leader-driven theory of history

The Habsburg noble family were the kings and queens of much of Europe—and of inbreeding

Vaccinating the world

Leaders

How well will vaccines work?

Covid-19 may become endemic. Governments need to start thinking about how to cope

Briefing

When covid-19 vaccines meet the new variants of the virus

A lot depends on blocking transmission, not just disease

Briefing

Vaccine hesitancy is putting progress against covid-19 at risk

Podcasts

The Jab—a new podcast from The Economist

Special report: The future of travel

What will travel look like after the pandemic?

Covid-19 has brought international travel to a standstill. But it will recover and may even become a better experience, says Simon Wright

Could covid-19 shake up air travel for the better?

Governments’ re-entry into airlines may spur more competition

How today’s reviled airlines could become greener

The pandemic has drawn attention to the environmental damage caused by air travel

Business travel may never fully recover from covid-19

Business class was late to the game. It might be early to leave too

The pandemic has hurt corporate jets less than commercial ones

The wealthy are not bound by airline schedules

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