The Economist | Independent journalism
Brain gain | How worrying is the rapid rise of Chinese science?
If America wants to maintain its lead, it should focus less on keeping China down
Finance & economics
The cracks in America’s ultra-strong labour market
With a big discrepancy in jobs data, the economy may be weaker than it seems
The Americas
Javier Milei finally lugs key reforms through Argentina’s Senate
Markets celebrated the two bills’ passing, after protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires
China
Li Qiang and China look to make up with Australia
The superpower is seeking to ease tensions with at least some of America’s allies
The world in brief
Israel continued its offensive on Rafah, as the leader of the World Health Organisation said that a significant proportion of Gaza's population faced “famine-like conditions”...
America’s Supreme Court unanimously rejected a bid to restrict mifepristone, preserving widespread access to the common abortion drug...
Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement committing America to providing military support to Ukraine for the next decade...
Argentina’s Senate approved two economic reform bills in a victory for Javier Milei, the president...
Russian exiles are making a mark in the Caucasus and Central Asia
People and businesses are flooding into the region
Lexington: Joe Biden’s best chance to shake up the race
But in debating Donald Trump, he faces a greater challenge than he did in 2020
Kung fu gives Africans their kicks
A rare soft-power export from China is spreading across the continent
Famous Birthdays wants to be the Wikipedia for Gen Z
From mega to micro stars, this is a validation that cannot be paid for
Video
Our US election model
Donald Trump has a two-in-three chance of winning in November
Our forecast puts the former president ahead of Joe Biden
Five months out, Donald Trump has a clear lead
America’s presidential race is no coin flip, says our forecast
What Donald Trump’s 34 convictions mean for the presidential election
Come election season, it could be Hunter Biden’s trial that hogs the headlines
US election 2024
Who are the Americans switching from Biden to Trump?
Try our “Build a voter” tool and see which attributes make voters likely to pick one candidate over the other
This week
The most important political stories this week
The hard right makes gains in European Parliament elections, four hostages are rescued in Gaza—and more
The most important business stories this week
The Fed leaves its benchmark interest rate on hold, Europe agrees tariffs on Chinese EVs—and more
KAL’s cartoon
A lighter look at the week’s events
Letters to the editor
On low birth rates, OpenAI, cricket in America, American students, Danish food, the British election
World news
Hunter Biden’s criminal conviction is good for nobody politically
The trial showed the ruin of addiction, and the wheels of justice turning
Bagehot: What separates Tony Blair’s Labour from the party today?
The approach to globalisation is the clearest dividing-line of all
Banyan: How the Philippines is turning the water-cannon on China
Ferdinand Marcos’s flip is a huge gift to America. But dangers lie ahead
South Africa stands on the brink of salvation—or catastrophe
To prevent a coalition of chaos, Cyril Ramaphosa and the Democratic Alliance must do a deal
European elections
Emmanuel Macron wants a snap election to get him out of a deep hole
But he’s taking a big risk
Why France’s president called a snap election
The centre wants to weaken Marine Le Pen’s hard right, in or out of power
The three women who will shape Europe
At a crucial moment they encapsulate the dilemma of how to handle populism
European elections 2024
European Parliament elections tracker: results and guide to the vote
The hard right has made some gains, but the centre-right EPP remains the largest group
Business, finance and economics
Schumpeter: Lessons in capitalism from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s
Duties will only hold them back for a while
Why global GDP might be $7trn bigger than everyone thought
The discovery has perturbed Chinese officials
China is distorting its stockmarket by trying to prop it up
State purchases of shares are bad enough, but other measures are far more destructive
Bartleby: Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
The promise and perils of waking before sunrise
America’s election year
Donald Trump’s trade hawk is plotting behind bars
Peter Navarro’s dark vision of the global economy could shape Trump 2
America’s billionaires should resist the urge to support Donald Trump
A Trump victory would reward them. But not enough to justify the risks
In brief
Trump goes to Washington; Republicans chastise Garland
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
Trump v Biden: who’s ahead in the polls?
The Economist is tracking the race to be America’s next president
Britain’s election
How the Labour Party could end Britain’s stagnation
Even if the economy peps up, taxes will have to rise
Bagehot: Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer fight for a poundshop presidency
The general election reveals the absurdities of Britain’s presidential turn
The most Tory place in Britain
It isn’t that posh but its population is old
UK election 2024
General-election forecast: will Labour destroy the Conservatives
Our seat-by-seat prediction for Britain’s next Parliament
The Israel-Hamas war
Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot leave Israel’s war cabinet
Will this force Binyamin Netanyahu at last to decide to push for a ceasefire?
Joe Biden leaked Israel’s first plan to end the war in Gaza
But hardliners in Israel and Hamas may yet scupper it
Talk of war between Israel and Lebanon is growing
Israel and Hizbullah would still prefer to avoid one, but that is getting ever harder to do
Who is responsible for feeding Gaza?
Arguments fly over Israel’s duty to maintain aid
The war in Ukraine
Politics overshadows a conference to raise money for Ukraine
Not to mention the continued fighting
In Crimea, Ukraine is beating Russia
The peninsula is becoming a death trap for the Kremlin’s forces
Russia’s explosion of a huge Ukrainian dam had surprising effects
A year after the blast and flood, Ukrainians disagree over whether to rebuild Kakhovka
Ukraine has a navy that needs no sailors
It does a surprisingly good job of destroying Russian vessels
Other highlights
1843 magazine | Can fasting help you live to 100?
An Italian doctor thinks it can – and he’s got a diet to sell you
Black baseball players of yore get their due, at last
Major League Baseball recognition puts Josh Gibson ahead of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth in the record books
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s a Chinese flying car
China is developing the vehicles faster than any other country
New Zealand is changing its place names
But many citizens struggle to pronounce Maori monikers
Stories most read by subscribers
Featured read
William Anders took the photo that kicked off the environmental movement
The Apollo 8 astronaut and nuclear engineer died on June 7th, aged 90
Edition: June 15th 2024
The rise of Chinese science: Welcome or worrying?
Our US election-forecast model
Five months out, Donald Trump has a clear lead
Macron’s gamble
France’s president wants a snap election to get him out of a deep hole
The war for AI talent
Big tech firms scramble to fill gaps as brain drain sets in
Is the New York Times bestseller list biased?
Our investigation suggests it is
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
