How the border could cost Biden the election
The world this week
Leaders
American immigration
How the border could cost Biden the election
To keep Trump out of power, the Democrats need to make an offer on immigration policy
AI for all
AI holds tantalising promise for the emerging world
It could help boost human capital, and ultimately growth
Unchaining a tiger
Vietnam needs a new leader
Doubts about the health of Nguyen Phu Trong have become a political liability
Private assets, public interest
The risks to global finance from private equity’s insurance binge
Funding pensions with private assets holds promise—but needs scrutiny
Mainstream Meloni
Giorgia Meloni’s not-so-scary right-wing government
Liberal fears have so far proved overblown
Electoral lawfare
African governments are using courts to sway elections
The abuse of judiciaries is harming democracy. Here’s how to stop it
Letters
On diversity, equity and inclusion, Chinese cars, presidential hats, Holocaust victims, Norse sagas, movies
Letters to the editor
Briefing
Chatbots for the bottom 4bn
Could AI transform life in developing countries?
Optimists hope it will ease grave shortages of human capital
Britain
Snakes (and tortoises, rhinos and gibbons) on a plane
How to transport a rhino
Howay the Sauds
Football attracts Saudi investment to England’s north-east
Europe
So far, so good
Giorgia Meloni has proved the doubters wrong
Fresh Bürger
Germany strikes a brave new deal on immigration
Constitutional horse-trading
Geert Wilders makes a show of respecting the law
Happy Austrians, glum Germans
Many Austrians feel their way of life is under threat
Learning from the east
Europe’s new plan to safeguard its economy
United States
Bordering on disaster
America’s immigration policies are failing
Texas hold’em
The bold Texas plan to stop migrants has hit a wall
Trouble down south
America’s border crisis in charts
Breaking news
The rise of the TikTok news anchor
Middle East & Africa
A region on fire
The ever-expanding Middle East war
Anything but Hamas
Can the Palestinian Authority be beefed up?
Putting the rule in rule of law
How to nobble a political rival in Africa and get away with it
The Americas
North American politics
The prospect of a Trump presidency looms over Mexico’s elections
So, so, so scandalous
Colombia’s first avowedly left-wing president is mired in scandal
Asia
Strong tailwind, no rudder
Few countries are better placed than Vietnam to get rich
Lunar landing
Japan lands on the Moon
As may be prescribed
India tightens the screws on online dissent
China
China and Taiwan
A new diplomatic struggle is unfolding over Taiwan
Easy questions only
At a UN review, China basks in the flattery of friendly countries
Westerners out, Chinese in
Hong Kong is becoming less of an international city
Skip, skip, scandal
Why skipping ropes are so expensive in China
International
Isolationist America
The world is bracing for Donald Trump’s possible return
Business
Upsetting the cart
What could bring Apple down?
Bartleby
Why you should never retire
The Modi paradox
India’s businessmen like Narendra Modi. They also fear him
Finance & economics
Escaping the dragon
As China’s markets suffer, what alternatives do investors have?
Burger prices
What Donald Trump can learn from the Big Mac index
Gourmet commodities
Why sweet treats are increasingly expensive
Ballpark figures
How American states squeeze athletes (and remote workers)
Free exchange
The false promise of friendshoring
Science & technology
Caffeine and the climate
Can scientists save your morning cup of coffee?
Polyglot machines
Why AI needs to learn new languages
Aesop’s ecological fables
How ants persuaded lions to eat buffalo
Magnets. This is how they work
Scientists have found a new kind of magnetic material
Culture
The comeback kid
Which colour and material is most in vogue in 2024?
The gates of Salt Lake
Mormonism is America’s homegrown religion
Anti-totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt’s message on freethinking is as relevant as ever
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary
The wrath of God
Zvi Zamir oversaw a programme of Israeli assassinations
By Invitation
The Economist reads
The Economist reads