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The US in brief
Trump's rally in the Bronx
Dateline
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India’s election, economy and future. May 23rd, 4pm BST, 11am EST
Europe
NATO’s boss wants to free Ukraine to strike hard inside Russia
Jens Stoltenberg says the rules on using Western weapons should be eased
Middle East & Africa
The ICJ orders restraint from Israel in Rafah
But the court has no way to enforce its judgment, and there is no chance Israel will heed it
United States
Rural white voters in Wisconsin could decide America’s election
They are less enthusiastic about Donald Trump than their counterparts elsewhere
The world in brief
The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and to allow investigators and journalists to visit the enclave...
Stephen Schwarzman, the boss of Blackstone, endorsed Donald Trump for president...
China ended two days of military exercises around Taiwan, conducted as “punishment” of William Lai Ching-te, the country’s new president...
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s president, said he wants to “redefine” his country’s role in NATO by opting out of wars beyond the alliance’s territory; this would include operations in Ukraine...
A second human case of bird flu in America is raising alarm
How close is the H5N1 outbreak to becoming the next pandemic?
Buttonwood: Boaz v BlackRock: Whoever wins, closed-end funds lose
Farewell to a financial mystery
Sudan: the war the world forgot
These charts and maps lay out the scale of the country’s catastrophe
Dateline: The Economist history quiz
Can you guess when these extracts were published?
The US in brief
Trump's rally in the Bronx
Dateline
Try The Economist's history quiz
Subscriber event
India’s election, economy and future. May 23rd, 4pm BST, 11am EST
Video
World news
Could the Labour Party blow its big opportunity?
Sir Keir Starmer’s party is terrified of letting victory slip through its fingers
Lexington: Politics is the law in Texas
A governor’s pardon implies that courts cannot be trusted, just as Donald Trump says
Emmanuel Macron has done Europe a favour, reckons Germany’s opposition leader
But Friedrich Merz insists that the continent has “no time to die”
Geopolitics helps reignite New Caledonia’s anti-colonial unrest
Emmanuel Macron makes an emergency dash to the troubled Pacific island
Business, finance and economics
Hacking phones is too easy. Time to make it harder
Regulators have avoided the problem for too long
Schumpeter: Can anyone save the world’s most important diamond company?
De Beers is in peril
Can Nvidia be dethroned? Meet the startups vying for its crown
A new generation of AI chips is on the way
Americans are fretting over their body odour
They are covering themselves in new types of deodorant
Pro-natalist policies
Why paying women to have more babies won’t work
Economies must adapt to baby busts instead
Can the rich world escape its baby crisis?
Governments are splurging on handouts to avert catastrophe
Shrinking populations mean less growth and a more fractious world
Politicians must act now to avert the worst
China’s high-stakes struggle to defy demographic disaster
The Communist Party puts its faith in robots, gene-therapy and bathing services
The Israel-Hamas war
The war-crimes case against the leaders of Israel and Hamas is flawed
Politics and diplomacy, not courts, are the key to ending violence and starting two-state talks
Who is Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court?
He has applied for an arrest warrant for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister
Powerful states are finding it harder to dodge legal challenges, says Marc Weller
The law professor believes the ICC’s creeping jurisdiction is part of a broader trend
The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu
His war cabinet and generals want a new plan—and a new boss
Iran after Raisi’s death
A president’s death gives Iran’s regime a choice
It will probably choose to keep alienating voters and antagonising the West
Iran’s new leaders stand at a nuclear precipice
The world’s atomic watchdog fears a terrifying regional arms race
The death of the president changes the power dynamic in Iran
The supreme leader’s son may be the beneficiary
Ebrahim Raisi was obsessed with the security of the people
The hardline president of Iran died in a helicopter crash on May 19th, aged 63
America’s election year
Fewer migrants are crossing America’s southern border
Joe Biden has Mexico to thank—for now
In brief
Nikki Haley will vote for Trump; Biden confirms 200th judge
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
US election 2024
Can you build a Trump voter?
Try our tool—and see which attributes make voters more likely to pick one candidate over the other
Trump v Biden: who’s ahead in the polls?
The Economist is tracking the race to be America’s next president
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India’s YouTubers take on Narendra Modi
In one corner of India’s internet, dissent survives. For now
The war in Ukraine
Ukraine’s desperate struggle to defend Kharkiv
It is holding off Russia’s attack — for now
Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term ends on May 20th
But he has no plans to step down or call an election during wartime
What are the Russian “turtle tanks” seen in Ukraine?
Wrapping vehicles in corrugated metal might protect them from drone attacks
Sergei Shoigu’s sacking points to yet more attrition in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin wants Russia’s armed forces to be better supplied
Mexico’s election
Criminal gangs are showing their muscle as Mexico’s elections loom
The next president must make the country safer
The probable next president outlines her plan to make Mexicans safer
The country needs reforms like those in the capital, says Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
The main opposition candidate on how to fight organised crime in Mexico
New leadership and outside help are needed, says Xóchitl Gálvez
Could there be a US-Mexico trade war?
The bilateral trade deficit has exploded since Donald Trump was president
Other highlights
A new age of sail begins
By harnessing wind power, high-tech sails can help cut marine pollution
The controversial cult of the host club in Japan
Why women pay men in make-up to flatter them
The hit series “Bridgerton” has set off a string-quartet boom
It is a surprising example of how popular culture can shape consumer habits
What if calling someone stupid was a crime?
Lionel Shriver imagines cancel culture going to even greater extremes
Weekly edition: May 25th 2024
Cash for kids: Why policies to boost birth rates don’t work
Where next for Iran?
The death of the president changes the power dynamic
Meet Nvidia’s challengers
A new generation of AI chips is on the way
How to save South Africa
The rainbow nation needs an alternative to decline under the ANC
Britain’s election surprise
Rishi Sunak’s election call makes no sense, but is good news
Special reports: May 11th 2024
Worlds apart
The American-led financial order is giving way to a more divided one
The global financial system is in danger of fragmenting
How crises reshaped the world financial system
The movement of capital globally is in decline
National payment systems are proliferating
The fight to dethrone the dollar
How the financial system would respond to a superpower war
Sources and acknowledgments