Briefing

The lack of needles and the damage done
Why the EU’s covid-19 vaccination programme went wrong

The commission should have done much better

Ever closer union?
Europe’s radical economic response to covid-19

The EU can now borrow, but how well can the member nations spend?

The medicine is the message
Covid-19 vaccines have alerted the world to the power of RNA therapies

And the molecule has many more tricks up its sleeve

After the protests
China is not just shackling Hong Kong, it is remaking it

And it does not think global finance will object

50%+1 is enough for most things
Most democracies see only a limited role for supermajorities

18th-century Poland provides a cautionary tale

Motion to dismiss
The filibuster is an oddity that harms American democracy

And it does not even stem from the constitution

Shelter from the storm
Covid-19 has transformed the welfare state. Which changes will endure?

The pandemic may mark a new chapter in the nature of social safety-nets

Tea and tributaries
In no region is China’s influence felt more strongly than in South-East Asia

The region has a complex relationship with its giant neighbour

Decarbonising America
Joe Biden’s climate-friendly energy revolution

What it will take to fight rising temperatures

Astrobiology
The search for ET hots up

If life exists beyond Earth, science may find it soon

Fear, uncertainty and doubt
Vaccine hesitancy is putting progress against covid-19 at risk

If the world is to tame the virus, the doubts will need to be fought

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

A lot depends on blocking transmission, not just disease