The Economist | Independent journalism

The US in brief today

Biden tries to win over black voters

Dateline

Try The Economist's history quiz

Britain's general election

Explore The Economist's forecast for Britain's looming election

Middle East & Africa

The ICC’s threat to arrest Binyamin Netanyahu has shocked Israel

America and Israel have reacted with outrage at the implied equivalence between Israel and Hamas

International

Iran’s new leaders stand at a nuclear precipice

The world’s atomic watchdog fears a terrifying regional arms race


Finance & economics

At long last, Europe’s economy is starting to grow

Now for the hard part




The world in brief

President Joe Biden issued an unambiguous rebuke of the International Criminal Court’s application seeking arrest warrants for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader...

Iran’s state media confirmed the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s president...

The price of copper extended its dramatic rally, rising to a record high of $11,105 per ton at the London Metal Exchange...

South Africa’s Constitutional Court barred Jacob Zuma from running in the general election on May 29th...


Ukraine’s desperate struggle to defend Kharkiv

It is holding off Russia’s attack — for now

Buttonwood: Joe Biden, master oil trader

The president has turned volatility into profit

“A day of shame” for the British state

The biggest scandal in the history of the NHS is at last properly acknowledged

The hit series “Bridgerton” has set off a string-quartet boom

It is a surprising example of how popular culture can shape consumer habits

The US in brief today

Biden tries to win over black voters

Dateline

Try The Economist's history quiz

Britain's general election

Explore The Economist's forecast for Britain's looming election

World news

The death of Iran’s president will spark a high-stakes power struggle

Amid a regional war, a fight at home between the clerics and military looms

Banyan: Lai Ching-te aims to strengthen Taiwan but maintain the status quo

The new president won’t find it easy


Why Julian Assange’s extradition case is taking so long

The WikiLeaks co-founder is granted a new appeal against being sent to America


A promising non-invasive technique can help paralysed limbs move

All that’s needed is electricity and exercise


Strife in the Middle East

The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu

His war cabinet and generals want a new plan—and a new boss

The Israeli army is caught in a doom loop in Gaza

And the refusal to plan for the day after the war is fuelling a crisis with America


Israel has seen arms embargoes before

But this time it will struggle without American military support



Business, finance and economics

Can Nvidia be dethroned? Meet the startups vying for its crown

A new generation of AI chips is on the way

Bartleby: How to be a good follower

First, realise that it matters


Meet the Swedish firm trying to shake up heat pumps

It sees a big opportunity in an old technology


It is dangerously easy to hack the world’s phones

A system at the heart of global telecommunications is woefully insecure


The war in Ukraine

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


Tracking the Ukraine war: where is the latest fighting?

Our satellite view of the conflict, updated daily


Stories most read by subscribers

Featured read

Can playing cards help catch criminals?

A novel idea for solving cold cases comes with high-stakes risks

Video

America’s election year

A mano-a-mano contest between Michael Cohen and Donald Trump

The hush-money trial hinges on the testimony of the former president’s former fixer

In brief

Biden tries to win over black voters; Trump hints at third term

Our daily political update, featuring stories that matter


Interactive 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



Sign up for our US in brief newsletter

India’s election

Who could replace Narendra Modi?

A leadership struggle is brewing in India’s ruling party

Banyan: Narendra Modi ramps up the Muslim-baiting

Is the Indian prime minister confident, or worried?


1843 magazine | Rahul Gandhi is on the march. But where is he heading?

He wants to be the champion of Indian liberalism. First he needs to save his party from irrelevance


Even disillusioned young Indian voters favour Narendra Modi

They worry about their future, but do not blame the BJP


Other highlights

God™: an ageing product outperforms expectations

An economist tries to explain religion

How not to name a new car

Companies that get it wrong risk both derision and outrage


The Great Barrier Reef is seeing unprecedented coral bleaching

Continued global warming will mean its obliteration


The world’s slowest bullet train trundles ahead in California

An extra $3bn of federal funding is nice; as for the other $80bn, dream on


Is America dictator-proof?

Weekly edition: May 18th 2024

Is America dictator-proof?