The world this week
Politics
Business
KAL’s cartoon
This week’s cover
Leaders
The Modi juggernautIndia’s democracy needs a stronger opposition
The Middle East on fireIsrael should not rush to strike back at Iran
Your country needs (more of) youHow to get more people into military uniforms
The second Powell pivotAmerica’s interest rates are unlikely to fall this year
Poor prescriptionAmerica’s moves against Chinese biotech will hurt patients at home
Letters
On China, WEIRD countries, nuclear weapons, O.J. Simpson, software engineers, XL Bully dogs, banlieues, uniforms
Letters to the editor
By Invitation
Israel and Iran
A Middle East scholar on Israel’s escalating tit-for-tat with Iran
Casualties of war
A trauma surgeon on why Gaza is the worst of war zones
Briefing
Emptying and fuming
America is uniquely ill-suited to handle a falling population
Which is a worry, because much of it is already shrinking
United States
Burlesque hour
Donald Trump’s first criminal trial will be both momentous and tawdry
Busted trust
America’s trust in its institutions has collapsed
Sleeping rough
Is ticketing homeless people a cruel and unusual punishment?
Biden and student loans
The White House unveils a pair of bad policies to woo voters
Can touch this
Lots of state legislators believe any contact with fentanyl is fatal
If you build it, they will sue
How two small Texas towns became the patent-law centre of America
Lexington
Truth Social is a mind-bending win for Donald Trump
The Americas
Musk v Moraes
Elon Musk is feuding with Brazil’s powerful Supreme Court
The sticky stuff
The world’s insatiable appetite for Canada’s maple syrup
The Glas affair
Why Ecuador risked global condemnation to storm Mexico’s embassy
Asia
The last Gandhi?
Gandhi v Modi: crunch time for Congress as India prepares to vote
Maritime manoeuvres
Tensions mount between China and the Philippines
Waving the red flag
An obscure communist newspaper is shaping Japan’s politics
Banyan
Lawrence Wong will be only the fourth PM in Singapore’s history
China
Degrees and difficulty
Why so many Chinese graduates cannot find work
A meeting and a message
China is talking to Taiwan’s next leader, just not directly
A puff piece
Examining the fluff that frustrates northern China
Chaguan
The dark side of growing old
Middle East & Africa
Striking out
One of the Middle East’s oldest conflicts has entered a new era
The Middle East on fire
Iranians fear their brittle regime will drag them into war
Israel’s dilemma
Iran’s attack has left Israel in a difficult position
Deeper into hell
After a year of war, Sudan is a failing state
I get knocked down
Tanzania’s opposition, once flat on its back, is now on its knees
Europe
Schuling around
Germany is flunking the education test
Not-so-bullish Germany in the China shop
The German chancellor’s awkward meeting with China’s boss
Le nouveau faucon
How Russia targeted France and radicalised Emmanuel Macron
The Russians are coming
Ukraine is digging in as the Kremlin steps up its offensive
Droning on
Ukraine is ignoring US warnings to end drone operations inside Russia
Charlemagne
How a conservative conference morphed into a crisis of liberalism
Britain
All change
Explore our prediction model for Britain’s looming election
Crossover
How tactical voting might affect the British election
Machines
Where are all the British robots?
If you pull on a thread
The push to decriminalise abortion in Britain heats up
Critical minerals
Britain’s black-mass problem
“Sexually, I’m more of a Switzerland”
Online dating spells the end of Britain’s lonely-hearts ads
Bagehot
Local British politics is a mix of the good, the bad and the mad
International
War and recruitment
Would you really die for your country?
Business
The imitation game
Generative AI is a marvel. Is it also built on theft?
Pups in cashmere
Who will lead the LVMH luxury empire?
Bartleby
The lessons of woke Scrabble
The health-care horserace
America hits Chinese biotech—and its own drugmakers
Schumpeter
What is weighing on CEOs’ minds this earnings season?
Finance & economics
Earning power
Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich
Buttonwood
Why the stockmarket is disappearing
Manufacturing miracles
China’s better economic growth hides reasons to worry
Conflict finance
Frozen Russian assets will soon pay for Ukraine’s war
Explosive material
Even without war in the Gulf, pricier petrol is here to stay
House of Fraser
Citigroup, Wall Street’s biggest loser, is at last on the up
Free exchange
Can the IMF solve the poor world’s debt crisis?
Science & technology
AI’s next top model
Large language models are getting bigger and better
Who you gonna call?
Locust-busting is getting a upgrade
Digital detoxes
What is screen time doing to children?
Culture
Show me the Monet
On its 150th anniversary, Impressionism is surprisingly relevant
Press play
How Hollywood fell in love with video games
Get a clue
What is a 14-letter word for a constructor of crossword puzzles?
Mountaineering
Climbing Everest is the extreme sport du jour
All quiet about the Eastern Front
Much of the Great War was decided in the east
Back Story
Salman Rushdie’s gripping take on being stabbed
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
The Economist explains
The Economist explains
How a home-improvement subsidy is wrecking Italy’s public finances
The Economist explains
What is geoengineering?
Obituary
A gaijin makes good
Akebono was the first foreign-born grand champion of sumo
