Latest articles by Simon Wilson
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Just how powerful is artificial intelligence becoming?
Briefings An uncannily human response from an artificial intelligence program sparked a minor panic last month. But just how powerful are machines getting – and should we be worried?
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Rail strikes and the summer of discontent – who's to blame?
Briefings The rail workers are all out and look likely to continue through the summer. Comrades in other unions are joining the strikers. Who is to blame?
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The Brussels effect – how the EU is raising standards around the world
Briefings EU standards and consumer protection regulations have a habit of being enforced globally. Why is that? And is it such a bad thing?
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Fortress Russia’s economy is crumbling
Briefings Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in the belief that the Russian economy could withstand whatever the West threw at it. That belief is being severely tested.
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Britain’s broken energy markets
Briefings Governments have no control over global energy prices. But the dysfunction that has led to rising price caps and windfall taxes is all of the UK’s own making.
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How the UK has changed in the last 70 years since the Queen took the throne
Briefings The last 70 years have been eventful and often difficult, but the UK is far wealthier than it was when the Queen took the throne in 1952. Simon Wilson reports.
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What's behind Sri Lanka’s crippling debt crisis?
Briefings Sri Lanka has been hit by a triple whammy of economic shocks and has gone to the IMF for a bailout. It may just be the first domino to fall in a global debt crisis.
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Hong Kong’s brain drain
Briefings A change in the political atmosphere and a harsh zero-Covid regime has seen thousands flee the global financial hub. Does it have a future – or will Shanghai take over?
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Britain’s post-Brexit trade chaos
Briefings The government has yet again postponed introducing post-Brexit checks on EU imports. Why has it done this, and does it matter?
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The emerging-markets debt crisis
Briefings Slowing global growth, surging inflation and rising interest rates are squeezing emerging economies harder than most. Are we on the brink of a major catastrophe?
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Why we need to chop off the “dead hand” of the Treasury
Briefings HM Treasury, the department in charge of long-term growth, fiscal policy, and departmental budgets, is a single bloated behemoth. It would be better to split the roles.
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Is China set to dominate the world?
Briefings Having secured a presidency for life within the country’s borders, Xi Jinping is now going for world domination – not out of megalomania, but a concern for survival. Simon Wilson reports.
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How a retreat from globalisation will affect the world economy
Briefings Global trade has been in decline for some time, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks a big turning point, say some commentators. What will that mean for investors? Simon Wilson reports.
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Should we levy a windfall tax on Big Oil's big profits?
Briefings Soaring oil prices mean huge profits for energy firms. Politicians are keen to impose windfall taxes, but that could discourage vital investment in new production.
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Russia, Ukraine and the coming global food crisis
Briefings The war in Ukraine has disrupted food and fertiliser exports, pushing up prices and threatening a global calamity.
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Russian aggression is a big blow for the world’s “net zero” ambitions
Briefings Switching the world economy over from fossil fuels to green alternatives was always going to be a challenge. It just got a lot harder. Simon Wilson reports
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Will the sanctions aimed at Putin have any effect?
Briefings Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the West’s strategic calculus and tougher than expected sanctions have followed. Will they be enough to change the course of events?
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Credit Suisse data leak reveals Swiss banks are home to scores of criminals’ loot
Briefings Swiss banks have looked after the loot of a variety of unsavoury characters, according to new leaks from Credit Suisse. Did new laws in the wake of the financial crisis change nothing?
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A major breakthrough in the search for nuclear fusion
Briefings For 60 years, the hope of producing vast amounts of clean energy from nuclear fusion has remained tantalisingly beyond our grasp. Now scientists claim it’s within reach.
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The long arm of Xi Jinping as China projects "soft power"
Briefings Like most countries, China is dedicated to projecting soft power and building links with institutions abroad. Unlike most other countries, that is rattling Western governments.
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Is Jack Monroe right about inflation hurting the poor the most?
Briefings Poverty campaigner Jack Monroe has claimed that official inflation statistics understate the impact of price rises on the poor. Is she right?
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Russia and Ukraine: what does Putin want?
Briefings Russia's president Vladimir Putin has many reasons for his military build-up on the border with Ukraine, but the costs of an invasion would be extremely high.
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Just how green is nuclear power?
Briefings Nuclear power is certainly very clean in terms of carbon emissions, but what about the radioactive waste produced as a byproduct? It’s not as much of a problem as you might think.
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What's driving the cost of living crisis?
Briefings Soaring bills, inflation and tax rises are about to squeeze household incomes. And it doesn’t seem that there is much the government can do about it.
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