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The US in brief
Closing arguments in Trump trial
Dateline
Try The Economist's history quiz
Analysing Africa
Introducing our latest newsletter
Briefing
Why today’s election in South Africa is its most important since 1994
It may force the country’s indecisive leader to make a fateful choice
United States
What are America’s Libertarians for?
They are grappling with whether to go for national influence or local wins
Business
Japanese businesses are trapped between America and China
Could geopolitics kill off an incipient corporate revival?
The world in brief
A temporary pier built by America to channel aid into Gaza was damaged by weather, forcing deliveries to halt...
The IMF bumped up its forecast for China’s growth over the next two years...
Australia’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.6% in April, a five-month high and more than the 3.4% expected by economists...
Hong Kong made its first arrests under Article 23, the national-security law it introduced in March...
Chaguan: How China uses Russia as a wrecking ball
China stands back, as Russia threatens to paralyse the UN Security Council
Despite flaws, South Africa’s democracy is stronger than its neighbours’
EIU’s democracy index shows just how bad the situation in Africa is
There is more to breasts than meets the eye
A new book offers a cultural history of mammary glands
The US in brief
Closing arguments in Trump trial
Dateline
Try The Economist's history quiz
Analysing Africa
Introducing our latest newsletter
Business, finance and economics
Baby-boomers are loaded. Why are they so stingy?
The mystery matters for global economic growth
OPEC heavyweights are cheating on their targets
That is tamping down global oil prices
Bartleby: The Economist’s agony uncle returns
Pets, drugs and schedule send: another postbag for Max Flannel
AI firms mustn’t govern themselves, say ex-members of OpenAI’s board
For humanity’s sake, regulation is needed to tame market forces, argue Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley
South Africa’s election
How to save South Africa
The rainbow nation needs an alternative to decline under the ANC
South Africa election poll tracker, results and guide to the parties
Who will form the next government?
How a Russia-linked mine may keep the ANC in power
South Africa’s ruling party was broke a few months ago, but its fortunes are changing
How South Africa has changed 30 years after apartheid
Poverty is rife and inequality still starkly racial
Video
Britain’s election
UK election 2024
General-election forecast: will Labour destroy the Conservatives?
Our seat-by-seat prediction for Britain’s next Parliament
UK election 2024
Can you build a British voter?
Explore the groups driving Britain’s political shifts using our interactive tool
Bagehot: Rishi Sunak’s snap election is odd and illogical—much like him
Whether an act of political genius or lunacy, Britons should welcome it
Sir Keir Starmer meets the public. Sort of
The Labour leader is better than he was at campaigning but that is not saying a lot
World news
Is America giving Narendra Modi an easy ride?
The West is struggling to balance interests and values in India
Footballer, broadcaster, podcast mogul: the career of Gary Lineker
And what it says about modern Britain
Mexico’s next president can reset relations with the United States
She will have much work to do on drug-trafficking, security, migration and trade
There is an explosive flaw in the plan to rearm Ukraine
Europe lacks TNT and other propellants for shells and missiles
The Israel-Hamas war
How many people have died in Gaza?
The fog of war may be thick, but some figures are solid
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
What does it mean to recognise Palestinian statehood?
Ireland, Norway and Spain will be the latest to do so
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
America’s election year
Rural white voters in Wisconsin could decide America’s election
They are less enthusiastic about Donald Trump than their counterparts elsewhere
Why America is vulnerable to a despot
Its democratic system is not as robust as it seems
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
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
Some good news about America’s fertility problem
Part of the decline in births should be celebrated
Stories most read by subscribers
Featured read
Vietnam’s ruling communists rush to fill the country’s top jobs
Amid an anti-graft drive, they will struggle to restore an aura of calm
The war in Ukraine
Ukraine’s desperate struggle to defend Kharkiv
It is holding off Russia’s attack — for now
Russia is ramping up sabotage across Europe
The Kremlin believes it is in a shadow war with NATO
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
Other highlights
Meet the man causing cracks in the antiquities trade
Matthew Bogdanos employs unorthodox tactics to repatriate stolen art and antiquities
From Zidane to Vinícius: the reinvention of Real Madrid
The galácticos have become the pragmáticos
Americans are fretting over their body odour
They are covering themselves in new types of deodorant
Spices have their own riveting, piquant history
How spycraft and cartography flourished in their wake
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
