Biden’s debacle: What it means for Afghanistan and America
The world this week
Leaders
Biden’s debacle
The fiasco in Afghanistan is a grave blow to America’s standing
And much of the blame lies squarely with Joe Biden
No more leaks
Regardless of how covid-19 spread, the world needs to prevent lab leaks
Even a small reduction in the risk of another pandemic is worth the price
Jackson Hole
Central banks should make clear what QE is for, and then reverse it
Monetary policy has become a muddle
Retail revival
How American retailers have adapted to the Amazon effect
The e-commerce marketplace is more dynamic than regulators realise
Megadry
Americans are moving to a region plagued by a 22-year drought
Pricing water properly would help ease shortages
Letters
On monkey experiments, Singapore, meritocracy, demonyms, science, dance floor bankers
Letters to the editor
Briefing
The Taliban are back in town
From Saigon to Kabul: what America’s Afghan fiasco means for the world
The defeat in Afghanistan is, like that in Vietnam, a turning-point. Many fear America’s foes will be emboldened; others hope it will now be more able to confront them
Europe
Enter the cleaner
The EU gets a prosecutor’s office of its own
From “flawless” to lawless
Angela Merkel bids Vladimir Putin a disillusioned farewell
Sicilian defence
Europe’s tenth-largest cities: Catania, in Etna’s shadow
Sink or swim
Should relics of the Habsburg navy be restored?
Britain
Ready for the next one
Policymakers weigh up the future of Britain’s pandemic state
Nauseous nurseries
Out of lockdown, Britons are discovering other viruses still exist
Middle East & Africa
Heading towards a dilemma
Rich countries want to strike trade deals in Africa
Sixth time lucky
The task facing Zambia’s new president, Hakainde Hichilema
A wave of criticism
Israel’s prime minister gets a hard lesson in pandemic politics
United States
Low and dry
The American West is drying up
Malice afterthought
Two Supreme Court justices want to revisit a landmark free-press ruling
Hog tied
California’s coming bacon crunch
The omni-Americans
Why more Americans are self-identifying as multiracial
Lexington
Uncle Joe did not know best
The Americas
Crisis in the Caribbean
An earthquake adds to Haiti’s woes
Asia
Sheraton removed
Malaysia’s tottering government falls at last
The darling buds of Nestlé
In Japan, novelty sweets mark the seasons
They just disappeared
Critics of Bangladesh’s government are liable to vanish
China
Teaching them a lesson
Hong Kong’s government is crushing the city’s pro-democracy unions
Hook, line and sinker?
In Sierra Leone, a Chinese port-building plan raises ire
International
Origins and obfuscation
The world needs a proper investigation into how covid-19 started
Business
Climate tech’s Netscape moment
Billions are pouring into the business of decarbonisation
Long-haul sally
JetBlue launches a low-cost transatlantic flight
SEA change
Chinese cloud giants eye South-East Asia
Finance & economics
Delta neutral
China’s Delta dilemma
Feeling the heat
Emerging-market policymakers grapple with rising inflation
The dog days of summer
American consumers become warier
Free exchange
The case for mutual educational disarmament
Schools brief
Biology brief
Making your way in the world
Science & technology
Culture
A way through the wood
The “Divine Comedy” is a salutary guide to hope amid adversity
Resistance to Hitler
A new book gives an American heroine her due
Fire in California
A new book chronicles the blaze that destroyed Paradise, California
Economic & financial indicators
Graphic detail
Obituary
America’s favourite problem child