Reasons to be cheerful about Generation Z
The world this week
Leaders
The Modi juggernaut
India’s democracy needs a stronger opposition
The Congress party is set for a drubbing in the world’s biggest election
The Middle East on fire
Israel should not rush to strike back at Iran
Instead it should try a novel response to Iran’s missile attack: restraint
Your country needs (more of) you
How to get more people into military uniforms
Why mandatory military service makes sense for some countries but not others
The second Powell pivot
America’s interest rates are unlikely to fall this year
That will squeeze financial markets and the world economy
Poor prescription
America’s moves against Chinese biotech will hurt patients at home
The motives behind the BIOSECURE act are muddy
Letters
On China, WEIRD countries, nuclear weapons, O.J. Simpson, software engineers, XL Bully dogs, banlieues, uniforms
Letters to the editor
By Invitation
Casualties of war
A trauma surgeon on why Gaza is the worst of war zones
Briefing
Emptying and fuming
America is uniquely ill-suited to handle a falling population
Which is a worry, because much of it is already shrinking
Britain
Machines
Where are all the British robots?
If you pull on a thread
The push to decriminalise abortion in Britain heats up
Critical minerals
Britain’s black-mass problem
“Sexually, I’m more of a Switzerland”
Online dating spells the end of Britain’s lonely-hearts ads
Europe
Schuling around
Germany is flunking the education test
Not-so-bullish Germany in the China shop
The German chancellor’s awkward meeting with China’s boss
Le nouveau faucon
How Russia targeted France and radicalised Emmanuel Macron
The Russians are coming
Ukraine is digging in as the Kremlin steps up its offensive
United States
Sleeping rough
Is ticketing homeless people a cruel and unusual punishment?
Biden and student loans
The White House unveils a pair of bad policies to woo voters
If you build it, they will sue
How two small Texas towns became the patent-law centre of America
Middle East & Africa
The Middle East on fire
Iranians fear their brittle regime will drag them into war
Israel’s dilemma
Iran’s attack has left Israel in a difficult position
Deeper into hell
After a year of war, Sudan is a failing state
I get knocked down
Tanzania’s opposition, once flat on its back, is now on its knees
The Americas
The sticky stuff
The world’s insatiable appetite for Canada’s maple syrup
Asia
Maritime manoeuvres
Tensions mount between China and the Philippines
Waving the red flag
An obscure communist newspaper is shaping Japan’s politics
China
Degrees and difficulty
Why so many Chinese graduates cannot find work
A meeting and a message
China is talking to Taiwan’s next leader, just not directly
Chaguan
The dark side of growing old
International
War and recruitment
Would you really die for your country?
Business
The imitation game
Generative AI is a marvel. Is it also built on theft?
Pups in cashmere
Who will lead the LVMH luxury empire?
Bartleby
The lessons of woke Scrabble
The health-care horserace
America hits Chinese biotech—and its own drugmakers
Finance & economics
Earning power
Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich
Buttonwood
Why the stockmarket is disappearing
Manufacturing miracles
China’s better economic growth hides reasons to worry
Conflict finance
Frozen Russian assets will soon pay for Ukraine’s war
Explosive material
Even without war in the Gulf, pricier petrol is here to stay
House of Fraser
Citigroup, Wall Street’s biggest loser, is at last on the up
Free exchange
Can the IMF solve the poor world’s debt crisis?
Science & technology
AI’s next top model
Large language models are getting bigger and better
Who you gonna call?
Locust-busting is getting an upgrade
Digital detoxes
What is screen time doing to children?
Culture
Show me the Monet
On its 150th anniversary, Impressionism is surprisingly relevant
Mountaineering
Climbing Everest is the extreme sport du jour
All quiet about the Eastern Front
Much of the Great War was decided in the east
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
The Economist explains
The Economist explains
How a home-improvement subsidy is wrecking Italy’s public finances
The Economist explains
What is geoengineering?
Obituary
A gaijin makes good