At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich

There are many excuses for failing to tax the ultra-wealthy. The truth is that governments don’t tackle the problem because they don’t want to, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Canada PM hails strategic partnership with China to adapt to ‘new global realities’

Mark Carney holds talks with Xi Jinping on rare Beijing trip as Canada seeks to diversify trade links away from US

Economic conflicts are world’s greatest risk, WEF survey suggests

Extreme weather events and biodiversity loss identified as the biggest global threats over a longer timeframe

Quarter of developing countries poorer than in 2019, World Bank finds

Global growth ‘downshifted’ since Covid pandemic and sub-Saharan Africa particularly affected, report says

Freedom from China? The mine at the centre of Europe’s push for rare earth metals

Swedish producer is trying to to accelerate the process of extracting the elements vital for hi-tech products

US will be exempt from global tax deal targeting profits of large multinationals

Agreement finalised by the OECD waters down a landmark 2021 deal that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%

‘Mad fishing’: the super-size fleet of squid catchers plundering the high seas

Every year a Chinese-dominated flotilla big enough to be seen from space pillages the rich marine life on Mile 201, a largely ungoverned part of the South Atlantic off Argentina

The cost of AI slop could cause a rethink that shakes the global economy in 2026

Revenues may be rising rapidly, but not by nearly enough to cover the wild levels of investment under way

From the AI bubble to Fed fears: the global economic outlook for 2026

Analysts and investors voice caution about tech valuations and Trump’s influence on the US central bank

Five charts that explain the global economic outlook for 2026

Inflation is predicted to cool but uncertainty over AI-driven growth and trade policy poses risks in the year ahead

Bulgaria prepares to join eurozone amid fears of Russian-backed disinformation

Balkan country will become 21st country to adopt EU currency, with policymakers hoping move will boost economy

The second China shock is coming – and the UK’s response is too timid

Beijing’s push to dominate technology through state-backed industrial policy is reshaping global trade and could devastate European industry

China has set a bear trap for Keir Starmer – and our naive PM is walking straight into it

The conviction of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong is another hostile act. How can Britain ignore Beijing’s provocations and human rights abuses, asks Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall

Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds

Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90%

China’s record trade surplus reveals its biggest strength – and hidden weakness

Booming Chinese exports have driven trade surplus past $1tn but also reveal the extent of country’s reliance on foreign markets