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Finance & economics

America used to be behind on digital payments. Not any more

PayPal, Stripe and others are only just getting started

Related

How the digital surge will reshape finance

United States

Why is it so hard for the president to hire people?

Nobody seems ready to reform Washington’s agonisingly slow appointments process

The Americas

America and Brazil square off over the Amazon

Relations between Joe Biden and Jair Bolsonaro depend on the rainforest

Britain

Britain's census form reveals the obsessions of different eras

What does the new version show?

Graphic detail

Covid-19 cases are rising again in much of the world

More transmissible variants, rather than changes in behaviour, are largely to blame

United States

Lexington: Joe Biden’s passage to India

America’s underperforming relationship with India has never looked more important

Prospero

For Claude Monet, familiarity bred respect

His paintings of the same scenes capture something of the lockdown experience

Daily briefing

Take five minutes to catch up on today’s essential news.

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The challenge of China

China

A hostile meeting sets the tone for US-China relations

Joe Biden shows no sign of changing Donald Trump’s confrontational policy

Leaders

How to deal with China

An epic global contest between autocracy and liberal values lies ahead

Briefing

China is not just shackling Hong Kong, it is remaking it

And it does not think global finance will object

Finance & economics

China’s markets are shaking off their casino reputation

Can foreign firms actually win?

Weekly edition

The brutal reality of dealing with China

March 20th 2021
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Readers’ favourites

International

The pandemic has changed the shape of global happiness

The old have become happier and the young more miserable

Business

The link between personality and success

Combining introverts and extroverts

1843 magazine

She was trafficked into a giant brothel. Now she runs it

Meet the madam of Bangladesh’s oldest brothel

Graphic detail

See how age and illnesses change the risk of dying from covid-19

Our risk model estimates chances of death and hospitalisation based on age, sex and comorbidities

Podcasts

Sound reasoning on current affairs, business and finance, science and technology, and global issues.

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Vaccinating the world

Leaders

How Europe’s vaccine caution can cost lives

Avoid a small risk; incur a bigger one

The Economist explains

Should children be vaccinated against covid-19?

Eventually, yes, but first jabs must be rigorously tested to ensure they are safe for the young as well as adults

Science & technology

Are vaccine passports a good idea?

They are likely to make the biggest difference to international travel

Europe

A protracted swell of cases highlights Europe’s vaccine problems

Europe stands out as a laggard among rich regions

Special report: The future of shopping

The return of one-to-one commerce

Not since the Industrial Revolution has shopping been in such upheaval, writes Henry Tricks

E-commerce profits may become harder to make

The Amazons and Alibabas are not as impregnable as they might seem

The rise of the rebel brands

Turning backs on Amazon is hard but not impossible

Independent retailers may choose multiple sales channels

Alternatives to big tech are flourishing around the world

The importance of "omnichannel" strategies

Reports of the death of the supermarket have been exaggerated

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