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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

Business

What could stop the Nvidia frenzy?

Two contradictions could stymie the AI chipmaker-in-chief


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



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


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

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 guide to a season of great reading

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 | 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


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


How would she govern?

Edition: August 24th 2024

How would she govern?