Enlightened, I have to agree with you on the Economist. Compared to the American newsmagazines, such as Time and Newsweek, it is very global, covering most of the world, instead of just most of America. The reporting is top-notch, and there is somewhat less bias than you find in other similar publications.
Their Science and Obituary section is peerless, and each week there is a full page obituary of someone who changed the world in some way, not always a huge way. I turn to the Obit first, because it is so well done, and almost always fascinating.