The Economist | Independent journalism
The Economist today
The very best of our journalism, handpicked for you each weekday
Money Talks
Taylor’s version (part one)
“Dateline” history quiz
This week: a royal wedding; BP’s big spill; and more
International
The poisonous global politics of water
Polarisation makes it harder to adapt to climate change
Britain
A language guide for judges is a window into modern Britain
And into the mind of the judiciary
The world in brief
Israel said that Hizbullah had suffered a “crushing blow” from Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon, which it claimed foiled Hizbullah’s plans for a bigger attack...
At least 70 people were killed in a series of attacks in Balochistan, in south-west Pakistan...
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, urged the West to allow his country to use their weapons systems to strike inside Russia...
Arbat dam, on the coast of Sudan, burst after heavy rainfall...
Police are killing more Americans than ever. Where’s the outrage?
The scarcity of protests is striking
Back story: Twenty-five years on, “Fight Club” punches harder than ever
Actually, the first rule of the cult film is that people never stop talking about it
Were investors right to panic after Mexico’s election?
Claudia Sheinbaum takes over power on October 1st
Wally Amos built, and lost, a delicious empire
The showbiz promoter of Famous Amos cookies died on August 13th, aged 88
The Economist today
The very best of our journalism, handpicked for you each weekday
Money Talks
Taylor’s version (part one)
“Dateline” history quiz
This week: a royal wedding; BP’s big spill; and more
America’s election
Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump. But how would she govern?
Being a politician is about more than campaigning. More policy detail is needed
Kamala Harris completes her reinvention
As the Democrats’ convention ends, the general election begins in earnest
Our presidential-election forecast
Kamala Harris has put the Democrats back in the running
1843 magazine | Kamala Harris is running on vibes
Delegates at the DNC can’t agree whether she is moderate or progressive. They’re just relieved she’s not Biden
Video
The war in Ukraine
The Kremlin is close to crushing Pokrovsk, a vital Ukrainian town
Even as Ukraine raids Russia, it is losing another key battle
1843 magazine | “I use anti-tank mines for weightlifting”: meet Ukraine’s Paralympians
The war-wounded join forces with soldiers on leave in the pursuit of sporting success
Tracking the Ukraine war: where is the latest fighting?
Our satellite view of the conflict, updated daily
What next after Ukraine’s invasion of Russia?
It could dig in, pull back or grab more as a bargaining chip
World news
Israel and Hizbullah play with fire
They both attempt escalating attacks that fall short of all-out war
Is Xi Jinping an AI doomer?
China’s elite is split over artificial intelligence
After decades of decline, Poland’s population seems to be increasing
Immigration and the war are the reasons
Javier Milei is splurging on the army
Many Argentines are asking why
Business, finance and economics
Bartleby: What to do about pets in the office
Dogs can bring both joy and chaos
India’s largest airline is flying high
IndiGo has conquered its home market. Its ambitions are rising
Buttonwood: Investors should avoid a new generation of rip-off ETFs
Some proposals may even be a risk to financial stability
Mike Lynch was Britain’s first software billionaire
He was celebrating his freedom when his yacht sank in a freak storm
America’s economy
What to make of America’s topsy-turvy economy
Don’t panic just yet
America’s recession signals are flashing red. Don’t believe them
We assess a range of measures
Will America’s economy swing the election?
It is not entering recession, but it is slowing down. That is bad news for Kamala Harris
Can Kamala Harris win on the economy?
A visit to a crucial swing state reveals the problems she will face
Israel’s wars
The Middle East’s bizarre waiting game: ceasefire or Armageddon?
Israel accepts a proposal to pause fighting but Hamas’s hardliners may not
How vulnerable is Israel to sanctions?
So far, measures have had little effect. That could change
Iran’s electronic confrontation with Israel
The two adversaries are engaged in an intense cyber struggle, with Israel still a click ahead
Hamas’s pick of Yahya Sinwar as leader makes a ceasefire less likely
The appointment of the architect of October 7th ties the group closer to Iran
Summer food
In praise of mangoes
South Asia’s mangoes deserve a wider audience
How Provençal rosé became the summer tipple par excellence
When temperatures rise, wine-drinkers think pink
The world’s best summertime drink relies on nature’s magic
Making tepache, like any other fermentation project, is a lesson in co-operation
When it comes to ice cream, the instinct to innovate is misguided
Forget flavours like ketchup, pickle and blood. It’s best to keep it vanilla
Travel
Madrid, Europe’s fourth-largest city, deserves more appreciation
It is now the subject of a comprehensive new biography
From Taylor Swift to Star Trek, niche cruises are on the rise
Themed offerings are luring young and old
Exposure to the sun’s UV radiation may be good for you
For now, though, keep the sun cream handy
We enjoyed reading these books on holiday. You might, too
A selection of titles chosen by The Economist’s journalists
Summer stories
From Coachella to Burning Man, festivals are having a bad year
Tickets are no longer selling out
Engineered dust could help make Mars habitable
Restoring water on Mars may be easier than you think
Reality TV is irritating but irresistible
There is more to the format than meets the eye
How long would it take to read the greatest books of all time?
The Economist consulted bibliophile data scientists to get an answer
Our summer issue
1843 magazine | How to get rich (Taylor’s version)
Think you know the story of how Taylor Swift took on the music industry? The reality is more complicated
1843 magazine | How the Proud Boys are prepping for a second Trump term
They led the charge on the Capitol. What next?
1843 magazine | Marwan Barghouti, the world’s most important prisoner
There’s one Palestinian who could help end the conflict. He’s in an Israeli jail
1843 magazine | The cruise that will get you chased by the Chinese coastguard
China is bullying its rivals in the South China Sea. For some tourists, that makes it a perfect holiday destination
Recent highlights
Why do Australians live so long?
A new study finds they far outlive people in other English-speaking countries
Why the world is teeming with so many new sports leagues
Interest from fans and investors has led to a surge. But is it a winning strategy?
The trial of Lucy Letby has shocked British statisticians
And shown that many Britons are woefully ignorant of statistics
America is sabotaging itself in the global battle for talent
Some countries are much more serious about attracting the highly skilled
Stories most read by subscribers
Featured read
Where crashing cars is the point
Making sense of demolition derbies
AI schools briefs
A short history of AI
In the first of six weekly briefs, we ask how AI overcame decades of underdelivering
AI firms will soon exhaust most of the internet’s data
Can they create more?
How AI models are getting smarter
Deep neural networks are learning diffusion and other tricks
LLMs will transform medicine, media and more
But not without a helping (human) hand
Edition: August 24th 2024
How would she govern?
Russia’s mysterious middlemen
Sanctions are as watertight as a sieve
Indian tourists go global
A booming middle class, budget flights and Bollywood
Big food’s big upheaval
It must contend with weight-loss drugs and concerns about processed foods
Complaining about kidults
Is Western culture stopping people from growing up?
