Turning Down
Content
Kim Zetter. Crown; 433 pages; $25 and £20. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
WHEN America dropped its two atom bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, over Japan in August
1945, it launched the world into a devastating new era of warfare. Nearly 70 years later,
humanity is still trying to contain the fallout. But in its zeal to check nuclear proliferation,
America—along with Israel—opened up yet another theatre of war: cyberspace.
In this section
A once and future realm
A clash of two copyrights
Tasty talk
Kitchen bwana
Turning worm
Past prints
Reprints
Related topics
Nuclear proliferation
Iran
Politics
Nuclear weapons
International relations
In 2007 a computer worm called Stuxnet was detected for the first time by virus-scanning
software, although signs of it may have existed unnoticed before that. At least three more
versions followed, seeking to wreak havoc upon Iran’s uranium-enrichment facility at
Natanz. Stuxnet made itself busy. It turned valves on and off and meddled with the
centrifuges, wasting uranium and damaging equipment. It succeeded in slowing Iran’s
uranium enrichment, and by extension its purported nuclear-weapons programmes, making
Stuxnet the first documented case of cyber-warfare intended to cause physical damage.
Where Stuxnet fell short was in remaining hidden, thanks to a series of “flubs that should
never have occurred”, writes Kim Zetter in “Countdown to Zero Day”, an authoritative
account of Stuxnet’s spread and discovery. In June 2010 a tiny antivirus firm in Belarus
stumbled upon Stuxnet while investigating a malfunctioning machine in Iran. The worm
contained a “zero-day exploit”—a previously undiscovered software bug—that brought it to
attention. An unprecedented five “zero-day exploits” were eventually found in the code.
Researchers also discovered that Stuxnet had used a stolen digital certificate, the foundation
of the internet’s web of trust, bringing the worm further renown.
Advertisement
Such attention-grabbing tactics were the first mistake. The second was failing to anticipate
the willingness of security experts to make up for the shortcomings of Iranian investigators.
Researchers at Symantec, and Kaspersky, an American and a Russian computer-security
company, tore apart Stuxnet and its siblings for more than two years in a bid to reveal the full
range of their abilities.
Had Ms Zetter, a reporter at Wired, stopped at simply recounting this saga, “Countdown to
Zero Day” would be an interesting record of an intriguing worm of little interest beyond
security specialists. But the book deserves a wider audience for its sobering message about
the vulnerability of the systems—train lines, water-treatment plants, electricity grids—that
make modern life possible. These industrial control systems are increasingly hooked up to the
internet, allowing remote access. Passwords are seldom changed from the systems’ defaults.
Security updates are rare. Firewalls and network logs are inconsistent. Warnings are ignored.
Little surprise, then, that researchers have been able to simulate shutting down energy grids,
infiltrating water plants and destroying generators. A 14-year-old in Poland derailed four
trams in 2008. Another teenager took down communications at a Massachusetts airport.
Utilities today encourage the use of internet-connected “smart meters” in homes. The
attackers of tomorrow could very well use them to black out entire cities.
Despite the opportunity, the world has yet to see a sequel to Stuxnet. But “given the varied
and extensive possibilities for conducting such attacks,” Ms Zetter writes, “…it is only a
matter of time until the lure of the digital assault becomes too irresistible for someone to pass
up.” Containing this new proliferation will be even harder. It takes money, raw materials and
large facilities to develop nuclear weapons. A cyberwarrior needs only a computer and an
internet connection to wreak havoc.
From the print edition: Books and arts
Submit to reddit
inShare13
View all comments (1)Add your comment
More from The Economist
The Economist explains: Why the oil price is falling
The Russian economy: The end of the line
The Economist explains: Why prisoners join gangs
Atheism, belief and persecution: The cost of unbelief
Working hours: Proof that you should get a life
Daily chart: Russia crushed
Homelessness in Hawaii: Paradise lost
Sleeper trains: The death of berths
The Economist explains: Why Japan's opposition parties are so hopeless
Want more? Subscribe to The Economist and get the week's most relevant news and analysis.
Print edition
X
Dec 13th 2014
Dec 6th 2014
Nov 29th 2014
Nov 22nd 2014
Next in The world this week
X
Politics this week
Next in The world this week
X
Business this week
Next in The world this week
X
KAL's cartoon
Next in Leaders
X
Criminal justice
America’s police on trial
The United States needs to overhaul its law-enforcement system
Next in Leaders
X
CIA torture
Shock therapy
A tawdry record, but facing up to the past is the best protection for the future
Next in Leaders
X
Greece and the euro
Crisis revisited
The euro is still vulnerable, and Greece is not the only problem
Next in Leaders
X
World Health Organisation
Heal thyself
The ailing international health authority needs a stronger organisation
Next in Leaders
X
Climate change and geoengineering
Fears of a bright planet
Experiments designed to learn more about ways of geoengineering the climate should be
allowed to...
Next in Letters
X
On Google, political distrust, HIV, state pensions
Letters to the editor
Next in Briefing
X
Accounting scandals
The dozy watchdogs
Some 13 years after Enron, auditors still can’t stop managers cooking the books. Time for
some...
Next in United States
X
Policing
Don’t shoot
America’s police kill too many people. But some forces are showing how smarter, less
aggressive...
Next in United States
X
Torture
Shining a light on the past
A Senate report on CIA torture sparks fury
Next in United States
X
Farming in the Midwest
Of tech and troughs
The fat years for farmers are over; thank God for taxpayers
Next in United States
X
Urban foraging
Salad daze
Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks
Next in United States
X
Charter schools
Big, not easy
Revolution and innovation in some of America’s toughest neighbourhoods
Next in United States
X
New York life
Mayor v mares
Tensions are mounting between Bill de Blasio and the horse-carriage industry
Next in United States
X
Lexington
The immigrant numbers game
Why Barack Obama’s partial amnesty won’t be reversed
Next in United States
X
Economics writer
Next in The Americas
X
Violence in Mexico and Central America
A lethal culture
Drugs and machismo are a dangerous mix
Next in The Americas
X
Canadian identity
Chomping Timbits
Burger King bought not just a fast-food chain but a national symbol
Next in The Americas
X
Brazil’s dictatorship
The final reckoning
An investigation into human-rights abuses names culprits, but far too late
Next in The Americas
X
Bello
The power of the cursor
The best and worst of times for Latin American journalism
Next in Asia
X
India’s Jammu and Kashmir
Modi’s northern lights
The Hindu-nationalist prime minister campaigns in a mostly Muslim state
Next in Asia
X
Afghanistan
Old problems, new hope
As NATO lowers the flag, the Taliban have not been beaten militarily but politically they
have been...
Next in Asia
X
The Solomon Islands
Mark Three
Can the new leader change his spots?
Next in Asia
X
Education in Indonesia
School’s in
Indonesia’s schools are lousy. The new administration wants to fix them
Next in Asia
X
Japanese property
Waking from sleep
Japan’s long property slump is ending
Next in China
X
New media
Propaganda 2.0
Once caught on the back foot by social media, the Communist Party has upgraded its
propaganda for...
Next in China
X
Christmas celebrations
Oh what fun
Christmas with Chinese characteristics
Next in China
X
Football
The party’s goal
Football, long a national shame, becomes compulsory at school
Next in China
X
Banyan
Tiger in the net
Zhou Yongkang may well have been corrupt. His real problem was losing a power struggle
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The fight against Ebola
Exorcising the ghostly fever
Slowly and messily, the struggle against the virus is being won
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The fight against Ebola
Donating the cure
Doctors start clinical trials with the blood of survivors
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The war against Islamic State
In the crosshairs
Westerners in the region are increasingly being targeted
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
Palestine’s land conflict
Death in the olive groves
The death of a prominent Palestinian official threatens to inflame tempers
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The state and Islam
Converting the preachers
Across the Arab world, rulers tighten their grip on the mosque
Next in Europe
X
Greece’s crisis
Samaras’s gamble
An early presidential vote could spell trouble for Greece’s government—and for the future of
the...
Next in Europe
X
Russia and Ukraine
Putin’s people
The president remains popular for his Ukrainian adventure, but that could change faster than
many...
Next in Europe
X
Danish politics
Reticent populists
The far right may be more popular by staying out of government
Next in Europe
X
Organised crime in Italy
Mafia in the middle
Italian mobsters have spread from the south northward
Next in Europe
X
German universities
Between great and so-so
Not in the elite but improving, German universities bet on a middle way
Next in Europe
X
Charlemagne
Ships that pass in the night
A trade deal with America would be good for everybody, yet it still may not happen
Next in Britain
X
Politics
No more parachuting in
Ever more MPs have deep roots in the places they represent. That presents the political
system with...
Next in Britain
X
Christianity in Northern Ireland
The devil you know
Catholics and Protestants make common cause against secularism
Next in Britain
X
House of Lords
A tizz about fizz
Peers of the realm resist changes to the quality of their champagne
Next in Britain
X
Funding for postgraduates
A little help
Part-funding for postgraduates seeks to balance support with incentives
Next in Britain
X
Stamp duty
Unexpected bills
Why stamp-duty tax cuts may hurt homebuyers
Next in Britain
X
Britain in the Middle East
We’re back
A new naval base in Bahrain is an echo of the past
Next in Britain
X
Boutique food shops
Deli-licious
As supermarkets flounder, small food and drink retailers are booming
Next in Britain
X
Care homes
Frail and faltering
There are not enough care homes in the right places
Next in Britain
X
Keeping mum at work
Working single mothers
Next in Britain
X
Bagehot
Nats, wha hae
The Scottish nationalists lost September’s independence referendum. You wouldn’t know it
Next in International
X
World Health Organisation
Too big to ail
Ebola has laid bare the failings of the world’s health authority
Next in International
X
Who wins the prize
Blessed peacemakers
Next in International
X
Refugees
Rattling the tin
The rich world is being asked to do more for those fleeing Syria and Iraq
Next in Special report
X
Luxury
Exclusively for everybody
The modern luxury industry rests on a paradox—but is thriving nonetheless, says Brooke
Unger
Next in Special report
X
History
Saintly or sinful?
Appreciation of luxury goes in circles
Next in Special report
X
Definitions
A rose by many names
Why luxury is so hard to pin down
Next in Special report
X
The business case
Beauty and the beasts
Think global, act artisan
Next in Special report
X
China
Beyond bling
Tastes are changing, but appetites remain keen
Next in Special report
X
Developing markets
The clamour for glamour
China is not the only growth story
Next in Special report
X
Demographic trends
Marques for millennials
Young people choose and buy differently
Next in Special report
X
The future of luxury
Experience counts
Providers of luxury need to offer more than expensive baubles to take advantage of a growing
market
Next in Business
X
Corporate transparency
The openness revolution
As multinationals are forced to reveal more about themselves, where should the limits of...
Next in Business
X
Corporate cyber-security
Horror movie
Hackers shine a harsh spotlight on Sony
Next in Business
X
Telecoms in America
On the airwaves
An auction of wireless spectrum has led to a feeding frenzy
Next in Business
X
Foreign firms in Argentina
Waiting for Cristina to go
Targeted by the president, foreign companies are leaving or scaling back
Next in Business
X
Car emissions
Fuel’s paradise
The efficiency of European cars is as much about trickery as technology
Next in Business
X
Treating autism
In development
Companies struggle to meet soaring demand for autism treatments
Next in Business
X
Schumpeter
The scale-up nation
Israel is trying to turn its Davids into Goliaths
Next in Finance and economics
X
International trade
A troubling trajectory
Fears are growing that trade’s share of the world’s GDP has peaked. But that is far from
certain
Next in Finance and economics
X
Buttonwood
Frozen or Buzz?
Political risk returns to haunt the Christmas season
Next in Finance and economics
X
China’s stockmarket
Dynastic bull
There is good reason for shares to rise, but a manic market is a policy headache
Next in Finance and economics
X
Intellectual property in China
Patent fiction
Are ambitious bureaucrats fomenting or feigning innovation?
Next in Finance and economics
X
Capital standards
Buffing up
Big banks find they are in yet another hole over capital
Next in Finance and economics
X
Mexico’s economy
Pass the tequila
Two decades after the peso crisis, Mexico faces new shocks
Next in Finance and economics
X
Lending Club
Peer pressure
If you believe the hype, peer-to-peer lenders are coming of age
Next in Finance and economics
X
The Federal Reserve
Opportunistic overheating
As the Fed signals higher rates, low inflation calls for patience
Next in Finance and economics
X
Divisions at the ECB
Draghi and the dissenters
The rift at the top of the ECB is dangerous
Next in Finance and economics
X
Free exchange
An on-off relationship
Counter-cyclical capital controls are great in theory but less useful in practice
Next in Finance and economics
X
Economics writer
Next in Finance and economics
X
Clarification
Next in Science and technology
X
Geoengineering the climate
Into the great wide open
Scientific studies of techniques for deliberately modifying the climate are getting ready to
move...
Next in Science and technology
X
Marine pollution
Charting the plastic waters
The amount of plastic in the sea is huge and widely spread
Next in Science and technology
X
The evolution of birds
A history of birds in 48 genomes
Cheap gene-sequencing and computing produces an avian time machine
Next in Science and technology
X
The Galápagos islands
Trouble on the cards
A storied scientific outpost is in difficulty as local traders get shirty
Next in Books and arts
X
England
A once and future realm
The making of the English was a funny business
Next in Books and arts
X
Intellectual property
A clash of two copyrights
The philosophical differences at the root of copyright law in Britain and America
Next in Books and arts
X
Culinary analysis
Tasty talk
On food, menus and satisfied customers
Next in Books and arts
X
Chefs
Kitchen bwana
How to cook, think and eat
Next in Books and arts
X
American photography
Past prints
A showing of press images is a reminder of America’s troubled racial history
Next in Obituary
X
Obituary: Jeremy Thorpe
From glamour to disgrace
Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of Britain’s Liberals, died on December 4th, aged 85
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Interactive Indicators
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Output, prices and jobs
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Trade, exchange rates, budget balances and interest rates
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
The Economist commodity-price index
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Tax revenue
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Markets
Print edition
X
Dec 13th 2014
Dec 20th 2014
From the print edition Dec 13th 2014
Comment (1)
Timekeeper reading list
E-mail
Reprints & permissions
Print
Advertisement
Follow The Economist
Facebook
Twitter
Linked in
Google plus
Tumblr
Pinterest
YouTube
RSS
RSS feeds by section & topic
Excerpts from the print edition & blogs »
Mail
Free e-mail newsletters
Editor's Highlights, The World This Week, and more »
Latest updates »
Colombia: The FARC’s ceasefire gambit
The Americas | Dec 18th, 00:00
The Economist explains: Why Japan's opposition parties are so hopeless
The Economist explains | Dec 17th, 23:50
The Federal Reserve meets: The best of all worlds
Free exchange | Dec 17th, 22:33
America and Cuba: A partisan cha-cha
Democracy in America | Dec 17th, 19:43
The United States and Cuba: At last, a thaw
The Americas | Dec 17th, 18:46
The rouble crisis: Back to the lean years
Europe | Dec 17th, 15:42
Israel's political implosion: Things fall apart
Middle East and Africa | Dec 17th, 14:45
More latest updates »
Most popular
Commented
Commented
1Russia and UkrainePutin’s people
2The Nanjing massacre: Lest they forget
3Criminal justice: America’s police on trial
4Market turmoil: Russia's Black Tuesday
5Bagehot: Nats, wha hae
Advertisement
Products and events
Have you listened to The Economist Radio on Facebook?
The Economist Radio is an on-demand social listening platform that allows you to listen,
share and recommend The Economist audio content
Test your EQ
Take our weekly news quiz to stay on top of the headlines
In Other Words
Try our new audio app and website, providing reporting and analysis from our
correspondents around the world every weekday
Want more from The Economist?
Visit The Economist e-store and you’ll find a range of carefully selected products for
business and pleasure, Economist books and diaries, and much more
Advertisement
WHEN America dropped its two atom bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, over Japan in August
1945, it launched the world into a devastating new era of warfare. Nearly 70 years later,
humanity is still trying to contain the fallout. But in its zeal to check nuclear proliferation,
America—along with Israel—opened up yet another theatre of war: cyberspace.
In this section
A once and future realm
A clash of two copyrights
Tasty talk
Kitchen bwana
Turning worm
Past prints
Reprints
Related topics
Nuclear proliferation
Iran
Politics
Nuclear weapons
International relations
In 2007 a computer worm called Stuxnet was detected for the first time by virus-scanning
software, although signs of it may have existed unnoticed before that. At least three more
versions followed, seeking to wreak havoc upon Iran’s uranium-enrichment facility at
Natanz. Stuxnet made itself busy. It turned valves on and off and meddled with the
centrifuges, wasting uranium and damaging equipment. It succeeded in slowing Iran’s
uranium enrichment, and by extension its purported nuclear-weapons programmes, making
Stuxnet the first documented case of cyber-warfare intended to cause physical damage.
Where Stuxnet fell short was in remaining hidden, thanks to a series of “flubs that should
never have occurred”, writes Kim Zetter in “Countdown to Zero Day”, an authoritative
account of Stuxnet’s spread and discovery. In June 2010 a tiny antivirus firm in Belarus
stumbled upon Stuxnet while investigating a malfunctioning machine in Iran. The worm
contained a “zero-day exploit”—a previously undiscovered software bug—that brought it to
attention. An unprecedented five “zero-day exploits” were eventually found in the code.
Researchers also discovered that Stuxnet had used a stolen digital certificate, the foundation
of the internet’s web of trust, bringing the worm further renown.
Advertisement
Such attention-grabbing tactics were the first mistake. The second was failing to anticipate
the willingness of security experts to make up for the shortcomings of Iranian investigators.
Researchers at Symantec, and Kaspersky, an American and a Russian computer-security
company, tore apart Stuxnet and its siblings for more than two years in a bid to reveal the full
range of their abilities.
Had Ms Zetter, a reporter at Wired, stopped at simply recounting this saga, “Countdown to
Zero Day” would be an interesting record of an intriguing worm of little interest beyond
security specialists. But the book deserves a wider audience for its sobering message about
the vulnerability of the systems—train lines, water-treatment plants, electricity grids—that
make modern life possible. These industrial control systems are increasingly hooked up to the
internet, allowing remote access. Passwords are seldom changed from the systems’ defaults.
Security updates are rare. Firewalls and network logs are inconsistent. Warnings are ignored.
Little surprise, then, that researchers have been able to simulate shutting down energy grids,
infiltrating water plants and destroying generators. A 14-year-old in Poland derailed four
trams in 2008. Another teenager took down communications at a Massachusetts airport.
Utilities today encourage the use of internet-connected “smart meters” in homes. The
attackers of tomorrow could very well use them to black out entire cities.
Despite the opportunity, the world has yet to see a sequel to Stuxnet. But “given the varied
and extensive possibilities for conducting such attacks,” Ms Zetter writes, “…it is only a
matter of time until the lure of the digital assault becomes too irresistible for someone to pass
up.” Containing this new proliferation will be even harder. It takes money, raw materials and
large facilities to develop nuclear weapons. A cyberwarrior needs only a computer and an
internet connection to wreak havoc.
From the print edition: Books and arts
Submit to reddit
inShare13
View all comments (1)Add your comment
More from The Economist
The Economist explains: Why the oil price is falling
The Russian economy: The end of the line
The Economist explains: Why prisoners join gangs
Atheism, belief and persecution: The cost of unbelief
Working hours: Proof that you should get a life
Daily chart: Russia crushed
Homelessness in Hawaii: Paradise lost
Sleeper trains: The death of berths
The Economist explains: Why Japan's opposition parties are so hopeless
Want more? Subscribe to The Economist and get the week's most relevant news and analysis.
Print edition
X
Dec 13th 2014
Dec 6th 2014
Nov 29th 2014
Nov 22nd 2014
Next in The world this week
X
Politics this week
Next in The world this week
X
Business this week
Next in The world this week
X
KAL's cartoon
Next in Leaders
X
Criminal justice
America’s police on trial
The United States needs to overhaul its law-enforcement system
Next in Leaders
X
CIA torture
Shock therapy
A tawdry record, but facing up to the past is the best protection for the future
Next in Leaders
X
Greece and the euro
Crisis revisited
The euro is still vulnerable, and Greece is not the only problem
Next in Leaders
X
World Health Organisation
Heal thyself
The ailing international health authority needs a stronger organisation
Next in Leaders
X
Climate change and geoengineering
Fears of a bright planet
Experiments designed to learn more about ways of geoengineering the climate should be
allowed to...
Next in Letters
X
On Google, political distrust, HIV, state pensions
Letters to the editor
Next in Briefing
X
Accounting scandals
The dozy watchdogs
Some 13 years after Enron, auditors still can’t stop managers cooking the books. Time for
some...
Next in United States
X
Policing
Don’t shoot
America’s police kill too many people. But some forces are showing how smarter, less
aggressive...
Next in United States
X
Torture
Shining a light on the past
A Senate report on CIA torture sparks fury
Next in United States
X
Farming in the Midwest
Of tech and troughs
The fat years for farmers are over; thank God for taxpayers
Next in United States
X
Urban foraging
Salad daze
Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks
Next in United States
X
Charter schools
Big, not easy
Revolution and innovation in some of America’s toughest neighbourhoods
Next in United States
X
New York life
Mayor v mares
Tensions are mounting between Bill de Blasio and the horse-carriage industry
Next in United States
X
Lexington
The immigrant numbers game
Why Barack Obama’s partial amnesty won’t be reversed
Next in United States
X
Economics writer
Next in The Americas
X
Violence in Mexico and Central America
A lethal culture
Drugs and machismo are a dangerous mix
Next in The Americas
X
Canadian identity
Chomping Timbits
Burger King bought not just a fast-food chain but a national symbol
Next in The Americas
X
Brazil’s dictatorship
The final reckoning
An investigation into human-rights abuses names culprits, but far too late
Next in The Americas
X
Bello
The power of the cursor
The best and worst of times for Latin American journalism
Next in Asia
X
India’s Jammu and Kashmir
Modi’s northern lights
The Hindu-nationalist prime minister campaigns in a mostly Muslim state
Next in Asia
X
Afghanistan
Old problems, new hope
As NATO lowers the flag, the Taliban have not been beaten militarily but politically they
have been...
Next in Asia
X
The Solomon Islands
Mark Three
Can the new leader change his spots?
Next in Asia
X
Education in Indonesia
School’s in
Indonesia’s schools are lousy. The new administration wants to fix them
Next in Asia
X
Japanese property
Waking from sleep
Japan’s long property slump is ending
Next in China
X
New media
Propaganda 2.0
Once caught on the back foot by social media, the Communist Party has upgraded its
propaganda for...
Next in China
X
Christmas celebrations
Oh what fun
Christmas with Chinese characteristics
Next in China
X
Football
The party’s goal
Football, long a national shame, becomes compulsory at school
Next in China
X
Banyan
Tiger in the net
Zhou Yongkang may well have been corrupt. His real problem was losing a power struggle
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The fight against Ebola
Exorcising the ghostly fever
Slowly and messily, the struggle against the virus is being won
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The fight against Ebola
Donating the cure
Doctors start clinical trials with the blood of survivors
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The war against Islamic State
In the crosshairs
Westerners in the region are increasingly being targeted
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
Palestine’s land conflict
Death in the olive groves
The death of a prominent Palestinian official threatens to inflame tempers
Next in Middle East and Africa
X
The state and Islam
Converting the preachers
Across the Arab world, rulers tighten their grip on the mosque
Next in Europe
X
Greece’s crisis
Samaras’s gamble
An early presidential vote could spell trouble for Greece’s government—and for the future of
the...
Next in Europe
X
Russia and Ukraine
Putin’s people
The president remains popular for his Ukrainian adventure, but that could change faster than
many...
Next in Europe
X
Danish politics
Reticent populists
The far right may be more popular by staying out of government
Next in Europe
X
Organised crime in Italy
Mafia in the middle
Italian mobsters have spread from the south northward
Next in Europe
X
German universities
Between great and so-so
Not in the elite but improving, German universities bet on a middle way
Next in Europe
X
Charlemagne
Ships that pass in the night
A trade deal with America would be good for everybody, yet it still may not happen
Next in Britain
X
Politics
No more parachuting in
Ever more MPs have deep roots in the places they represent. That presents the political
system with...
Next in Britain
X
Christianity in Northern Ireland
The devil you know
Catholics and Protestants make common cause against secularism
Next in Britain
X
House of Lords
A tizz about fizz
Peers of the realm resist changes to the quality of their champagne
Next in Britain
X
Funding for postgraduates
A little help
Part-funding for postgraduates seeks to balance support with incentives
Next in Britain
X
Stamp duty
Unexpected bills
Why stamp-duty tax cuts may hurt homebuyers
Next in Britain
X
Britain in the Middle East
We’re back
A new naval base in Bahrain is an echo of the past
Next in Britain
X
Boutique food shops
Deli-licious
As supermarkets flounder, small food and drink retailers are booming
Next in Britain
X
Care homes
Frail and faltering
There are not enough care homes in the right places
Next in Britain
X
Keeping mum at work
Working single mothers
Next in Britain
X
Bagehot
Nats, wha hae
The Scottish nationalists lost September’s independence referendum. You wouldn’t know it
Next in International
X
World Health Organisation
Too big to ail
Ebola has laid bare the failings of the world’s health authority
Next in International
X
Who wins the prize
Blessed peacemakers
Next in International
X
Refugees
Rattling the tin
The rich world is being asked to do more for those fleeing Syria and Iraq
Next in Special report
X
Luxury
Exclusively for everybody
The modern luxury industry rests on a paradox—but is thriving nonetheless, says Brooke
Unger
Next in Special report
X
History
Saintly or sinful?
Appreciation of luxury goes in circles
Next in Special report
X
Definitions
A rose by many names
Why luxury is so hard to pin down
Next in Special report
X
The business case
Beauty and the beasts
Think global, act artisan
Next in Special report
X
China
Beyond bling
Tastes are changing, but appetites remain keen
Next in Special report
X
Developing markets
The clamour for glamour
China is not the only growth story
Next in Special report
X
Demographic trends
Marques for millennials
Young people choose and buy differently
Next in Special report
X
The future of luxury
Experience counts
Providers of luxury need to offer more than expensive baubles to take advantage of a growing
market
Next in Business
X
Corporate transparency
The openness revolution
As multinationals are forced to reveal more about themselves, where should the limits of...
Next in Business
X
Corporate cyber-security
Horror movie
Hackers shine a harsh spotlight on Sony
Next in Business
X
Telecoms in America
On the airwaves
An auction of wireless spectrum has led to a feeding frenzy
Next in Business
X
Foreign firms in Argentina
Waiting for Cristina to go
Targeted by the president, foreign companies are leaving or scaling back
Next in Business
X
Car emissions
Fuel’s paradise
The efficiency of European cars is as much about trickery as technology
Next in Business
X
Treating autism
In development
Companies struggle to meet soaring demand for autism treatments
Next in Business
X
Schumpeter
The scale-up nation
Israel is trying to turn its Davids into Goliaths
Next in Finance and economics
X
International trade
A troubling trajectory
Fears are growing that trade’s share of the world’s GDP has peaked. But that is far from
certain
Next in Finance and economics
X
Buttonwood
Frozen or Buzz?
Political risk returns to haunt the Christmas season
Next in Finance and economics
X
China’s stockmarket
Dynastic bull
There is good reason for shares to rise, but a manic market is a policy headache
Next in Finance and economics
X
Intellectual property in China
Patent fiction
Are ambitious bureaucrats fomenting or feigning innovation?
Next in Finance and economics
X
Capital standards
Buffing up
Big banks find they are in yet another hole over capital
Next in Finance and economics
X
Mexico’s economy
Pass the tequila
Two decades after the peso crisis, Mexico faces new shocks
Next in Finance and economics
X
Lending Club
Peer pressure
If you believe the hype, peer-to-peer lenders are coming of age
Next in Finance and economics
X
The Federal Reserve
Opportunistic overheating
As the Fed signals higher rates, low inflation calls for patience
Next in Finance and economics
X
Divisions at the ECB
Draghi and the dissenters
The rift at the top of the ECB is dangerous
Next in Finance and economics
X
Free exchange
An on-off relationship
Counter-cyclical capital controls are great in theory but less useful in practice
Next in Finance and economics
X
Economics writer
Next in Finance and economics
X
Clarification
Next in Science and technology
X
Geoengineering the climate
Into the great wide open
Scientific studies of techniques for deliberately modifying the climate are getting ready to
move...
Next in Science and technology
X
Marine pollution
Charting the plastic waters
The amount of plastic in the sea is huge and widely spread
Next in Science and technology
X
The evolution of birds
A history of birds in 48 genomes
Cheap gene-sequencing and computing produces an avian time machine
Next in Science and technology
X
The Galápagos islands
Trouble on the cards
A storied scientific outpost is in difficulty as local traders get shirty
Next in Books and arts
X
England
A once and future realm
The making of the English was a funny business
Next in Books and arts
X
Intellectual property
A clash of two copyrights
The philosophical differences at the root of copyright law in Britain and America
Next in Books and arts
X
Culinary analysis
Tasty talk
On food, menus and satisfied customers
Next in Books and arts
X
Chefs
Kitchen bwana
How to cook, think and eat
Next in Books and arts
X
American photography
Past prints
A showing of press images is a reminder of America’s troubled racial history
Next in Obituary
X
Obituary: Jeremy Thorpe
From glamour to disgrace
Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of Britain’s Liberals, died on December 4th, aged 85
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Interactive Indicators
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Output, prices and jobs
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Trade, exchange rates, budget balances and interest rates
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
The Economist commodity-price index
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Tax revenue
Next in Economic and financial indicators
X
Markets
Print edition
X
Dec 13th 2014
Dec 20th 2014
From the print edition Dec 13th 2014
Comment (1)
Timekeeper reading list
Reprints & permissions
Advertisement
Follow The Economist
Linked in
Google plus
Tumblr
YouTube
RSS
RSS feeds by section & topic
Excerpts from the print edition & blogs »
Free e-mail newsletters
Editor's Highlights, The World This Week, and more »
Latest updates »
Colombia: The FARC’s ceasefire gambit
The Americas | Dec 18th, 00:00
The Economist explains: Why Japan's opposition parties are so hopeless
The Economist explains | Dec 17th, 23:50
The Federal Reserve meets: The best of all worlds
Free exchange | Dec 17th, 22:33
America and Cuba: A partisan cha-cha
Democracy in America | Dec 17th, 19:43
The United States and Cuba: At last, a thaw
The Americas | Dec 17th, 18:46
The rouble crisis: Back to the lean years
Europe | Dec 17th, 15:42
Israel's political implosion: Things fall apart
Middle East and Africa | Dec 17th, 14:45
More latest updates »
Most popular
Commented
Commented
1Russia and UkrainePutin’s people
2The Nanjing massacre: Lest they forget
3Criminal justice: America’s police on trial
4Market turmoil: Russia's Black Tuesday
5Bagehot: Nats, wha hae
Advertisement
Products and events
Have you listened to The Economist Radio on Facebook?
The Economist Radio is an on-demand social listening platform that allows you to listen,
share and recommend The Economist audio content
Test your EQ
Take our weekly news quiz to stay on top of the headlines
In Other Words
Try our new audio app and website, providing reporting and analysis from our
correspondents around the world every weekday
Want more from The Economist?
Visit The Economist e-store and you’ll find a range of carefully selected products for
business and pleasure, Economist books and diaries, and much more
Advertisement
