News

How does it respond without squandering the coalition that supported it? In the space of two weeks Israel has been dealt two major strategic surprises. The first came in the aftermath of Israel’s air strike against Iran’s embassy compound in...

Ultra-religious hardliners are gaining power and yearn for confrontation Despite its 45-year-old hostility towards the “Little Satan”, Iran had never fired a shot at Israel from its own territory. Instead, the road to Jerusalem went through Karbala, an Iraqi city...

Iran’s attack on Israel throws out old rules and puts allies in a delicate position Even an ineffective act can be transformative. The Middle East spent the first half of this month waiting for Iran to retaliate for an Israeli...

A coming wave of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will test China to its limits Mr zhang has stared down death during his 90 years on Earth. He has been diagnosed with cancer twice. During his latest bout doctors...

An effort to improve the environment has had unintended consequences Like most blizzards, it begins with just a few white wisps swirling about. Gradually the volume increases and the stuff starts to accumulate on the ground. During the heaviest downfalls...

Officials in Beijing want the island’s new president to be more like one from the past After 11 days in China, during which time he was granted an audience with Xi Jinping, its supreme leader, Ma Ying-jeou came back to...

Our number-crunching suggests that their plight could be much worse than previously thought Around this time each year companies visit university campuses in China looking for potential employees. This year the mood is grim. At a job fair in Wuhan...

The next leader promises continuity and change In the republic’s 59-year history, Singapore has had only three leaders. On May 15th it gets its fourth, when the prime minister of 20 years, Lee Hsien Loong—who is 72 and whose father,...

Stories by Shimbun Akahata consistently pack a punch Since japan’s parliamentary session began three months ago, one issue has dominated the agenda: a financial scandal within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (ldp). At the end of last year, prosecutors launched...

The latest incident was just inside the “nine-dash line” Could the Philippines be the next big flashpoint in the South China Sea? On April 13th a Chinese coastguard vessel blocked a maritime-research vessel and its escort, both belonging to the...

The Economist joins the most prominent opposition politician on the campaign trail Rahul gandhi seems angrier now. For years, even close friends wondered if he had the drive to follow in the footsteps of his father, grandmother and great-grandfather, all...

Jorge Glas, who had claimed asylum from Mexico, is accused of abetting drug networks On april 5th Ecuadorian police scaled the walls of the Mexican embassy (pictured) in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. They stormed the building and seized Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s...

Production is booming, but climate change is making output more erratic Hammer a tube called a spile into the bark of a maple tree and its translucent yellow sap will start flowing out; the tree has been tapped (pictured). This...

The court has become the de facto regulator of social media in the country Over the past two weeks Elon Musk, a serial entrepreneur, has been on a very public tirade against Alexandre de Moraes, one of the Brazilian Supreme...

And disturbing evidence of how he destabilises reality for Americans Since shares in Donald Trump’s media firm began trading publicly on March 26th, their value has slid by more than half, prompting headlines, and some crowing from the left, about...

Are entrepreneurial judges a good or a bad thing? In 2019 a federal judge named Alan Albright gave a presentation to a group of lawyers. His courthouse in Waco, Texas, where he is the only judge, sits near a sweet...

(It is not) In an episode of the cop drama “Blue Bloods”, Detective Maria Baez touches a dish covered in fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Moments later she is rushed to the hospital, fighting for her life. In the real...

Tariffs for steelworkers and loan forgiveness for students are both regressive It is a Washington truism that little gets done in Congress during an election year. This means that pandering politicians, and particularly the president, need to get creative. Consider...