Briefing

On many fronts

The bloodshed in the Middle East is fast expanding

Israel seems certain to retaliate to Iran’s missile attack

The great mistake

What Hamas misunderstood about the Middle East

A war meant to draw in the militant group’s allies has instead left them battered

Fissile fallout

After the decapitation of Hizbullah, Iran could race for a nuclear bomb

The embattled clerical regime might feel the need for stronger deterrence

A widening breach

Ukraine is on the defensive, militarily, economically and diplomatically

Russian advances, fatigue among its allies and political divisions at home leave it in a bind

Back to sleep

America is becoming less “woke”

Our statistical analysis finds that woke opinions and practices are on the decline

A foregone confusion

What will happen if America’s election result is contested?

The system is now stronger, but so is public mistrust of it

Lowering the veil

The Chinese authorities are concealing the state of the economy

But the Communist Party’s internal information systems may also be flawed

Disaster in Darfur

“Hell on earth”: satellite images document the siege of a Sudanese city

El-Fasher, until recently a place of refuge, is under attack

Chaos machine

The ripple effects of Sudan’s war are being felt across three continents

It is a sign of growing global impunity and disorder

An intensifying calamity

Anarchy in Sudan has spawned the world’s worst famine in 40 years

Millions are likely to perish

Woolly warrior

Kamala Harris has revealed only the vaguest of policy platforms

Her record suggests she would be a pragmatist

Economic self-harm

Talent is scarce. Yet many countries spurn it

There is growing competition for the best and the brightest migrants