Very pleased to be shortlisted for Best Digital Storytelling at the Future of Media Awards. The nominated piece drew on data from conflict monitors, satellites and other sources to cover the Iran war while it was still unfolding: www.economist.com/interactive/...

The Iran war has entered a new phase

Both sides have changed their tactics, our data analysis finds

economist.com

2x! Delighted to have two of my projects recognised by the @royalstatsoc.bsky.social at their annual awards. My piece on baby names—and what they reveal about culture—won, while my analysis of Russia’s offensive and estimates of its losses was highly commended. Team efforts both!

Our cover this week. To mark the United States’ 250th birthday, I decided to assess its position in the world over the centuries, starting with its economy. www.economist.com/interactive/...

The Economist@economist.com · last mo.

America is awesomely powerful—but its 250th birthday comes at an anxious moment in its history: econ.st/3SEoP8U

After a few very busy weeks, I'm happy to share that I've been shortlisted for Data Journalist of the Year by the Wincott Foundation. I made the list for my coverage of conflicts around the world in 2025. Very grateful to my colleagues and collaborators who made this possible.

Latest on the war--clear dip in incoming drones to Bahrain, Qatar and UAE. www.economist.com/middle-east-...

I analysed data on 788 distinct attacks, 1,860 missile and drone launches, and abnormal “high-temperature events”, such as fires, at 208 strategic sites. It suggested the war has entered a new phase. www.economist.com/interactive/...

The Iran war has entered a new phase

Both sides have changed their tactics, our data analysis finds

economist.com

The latest casualty estimates—from official and independent sources, as well as The Economist’s own modelling—suggest that Russia is losing far more troops than Ukraine, while gaining almost no ground. www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

How Russia’s fatalities compare with Ukraine’s

After four years of fighting, our modelling reveals a grim toll

economist.com

Our cover this week. As I write in the accompanying briefing: where the press is stifled today, corruption should be expected tomorrow. www.economist.com/briefing/202...

Every November, @economist.com ponders the year to come. For this year’s edition of The World Ahead, I wrote about the conflicts to watch in 2026. I highlighted seven—of which one has already taken a major turn. www.economist.com/interactive/...

Seven conflicts to watch in the coming year

Some are potential, others are already hot

economist.com

Delighted to be shortlisted for specialist journalist of the year at the British Journalism Awards. Congrats to all the other nominees pressgazette.co.uk/press-gazett...

British Journalism Awards 2025: Finalists revealed

Press Gazette is proud to reveal the shortlist for the British Journalism Awards 2025, with links to all of the winning work.

pressgazette.co.uk

Delighted to share that several brilliant colleagues from @economist.com have been shortlisted for the British Journalism Awards 2025 🏆 Congratulations @matthewholehouse.bsky.social, @duncanrobinson.bsky.social and @sondreus.bsky.social! Read the full shortlist: pressgazette.co.uk/press-gazett...

British Journalism Awards 2025: Finalists revealed

Press Gazette is proud to reveal the shortlist for the British Journalism Awards 2025, with links to all of the winning work.

pressgazette.co.uk

Russia does not appear to be winning the war on the battlefield. It is advancing only slowly, with little hope of a breakthrough and at a cost that is unsustainable in manpower and materiel. My latest on the war: www.economist.com/interactive/...

Russia's latest big Ukraine offensive gains next to nothing, again

Hundreds of thousands of Vladimir Putin's troops are losing their lives for barely any land

economist.com

Our analysis of data from the front lines in Ukraine suggests Russia is suffering its heaviest losses of the conflict so far. We use satellites to track the fighting: www.economist.com/interactive/...

Russia’s summer Ukraine offensive looks like its deadliest yet

Our analysis of what it has cost both sides

economist.com

Whether a specific ceasefire will hold can be very hard to tell. But data on masses of them, researchers told me, reveal some factors that tend to be correlated with success. I had a look at 2,203 declared since 1989: www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

How often do ceasefires in the Middle East work?

Donald Trump says he expects the Iran-Israel truce to last forever. Our analysis of more than 2,000 truces suggests that’s optimistic

economist.com

To track the Israel-Iran war, @economist.com, I think uniquely, monitors 208 strategic sites in Iran for abnormal thermal activity. It can be hard to know how much maps of confirmed strikes may miss. We find broad overlap, but not perfect. www.economist.com/interactive/...

Russia has attacked along virtually the entire front in the past week, and especially heavily in the past few days. But essentially no shift in the front lines. www.economist.com/interactive/...

Our cover this week is about girls. The news is good: I find that the enormous global shortfall of baby girls has seen a stunning decline. www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

Our poll of Ukraine is now in (N=1000). Mr Zelensky approval at >70%, very few want elections before peace. But also suggests 58% will not want Ukraine to concede territory, and that many also expect the war to end within the year -> www.economist.com/europe/2025/... by @olliecarroll.bsky.social

Is Zelensky a disliked dictator or a popular hero?

Our poll of Ukrainians shows a surprising shift in the president’s ratings

economist.com

In 2024, Russia seized less than half a percent of Ukrainian land at the cost of about 100,000 lives, new estimates of casualties and my calculations suggest. My take on the latest data: www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

How do Ukrainian soldier fatalities compare with Russia’s?

Russia is losing more troops than its opponent. That makes it a strange time for America to force an unequal peace on Ukraine

economist.com

Recommend this for those interested in my work or how I think about it: oxfordpoliticalreview.com/2025/02/28/t...

The impact of the latest round of tariffs on US imports from China depends on what the alternatives are. If you thought most of these imported goods are easy to get from elsewhere, I'd think again www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

Which goods are most vulnerable to American tariffs on China?

Our number-crunching shows which trade flows could be hard to replace

economist.com

What makes ceasefires, such as the one between Israel and Hamas, more likely to succeed? The experts I talked to and data from 2000+ recent halts in fighting suggest monitoring, politics and a strong start are key: www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

It is the season for giving in many countries. I had a look at what the data can and cannot tell about doing good well: www.economist.com/finance-and-...

The search for the world’s most efficient charities

What the data say about doing good well

economist.com

Context re events in South Korea (Yoon Suk-Yeol at ~15% per latest Morning Consult data) pro.morningconsult.com/trackers/glo...

How many Ukrainian soldiers have died defending the country? I collected all the data I could find, and found that this suggests the answer is at a minimum 60k, but probably many more. www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

What does Elon Musk's online activity reveal about him? Going through nearly 40,000 posts over the past decade, and the policies implied or suggested in them, @ainsliejstone.bsky.social and I found a changed man

What would it cost to end coal power, and what would be gained? I used data on all known coal power plants (present and future), co2-reabsorption modelling and much more to get an answer www.economist.com/interactive/...

What would it cost to kill coal?

The price of shutting down coal power, and what would be gained

economist.com

Hello again world. Will try to post here sometimes. Next: what it would cost to end coal.

hello world