The Economist | Independent journalism
30 years after apartheid | How to save South Africa
The rainbow nation needs an alternative to decline under the ANC
Middle East & Africa
How many people have died in Gaza?
The fog of war may be thick, but some figures are solid
Business
Walmart’s latest product? Its customers
The retail giant is selling advertisers access to its shoppers
Culture
Meet the man causing cracks in the antiquities trade
Matthew Bogdanos employs unorthodox tactics to repatriate stolen art and antiquities
The world in brief
The White House said that Egypt had agreed to send humanitarian aid to Gaza through Kerem Shalom, the main commercial checkpoint between Israel and Gaza...
Janet Yellen, America’s treasury secretary, said that the G7 group of big economies was considering issuing a loan to Ukraine, secured by profits on frozen Russian assets...
Stephen Schwarzman, the boss of Blackstone, endorsed Donald Trump for president...
Bim Afolami , a British government minister, called an exodus of his Conservative colleagues stepping down at the general election on July 4th "not unnatural"...
A live-streamed attempted coup in Congo shakes the region
The involvement of Americans in the botched putsch is embarrassing for Washington as it tries to maintain influence
Who is Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court?
He has applied for an arrest warrant for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister
From Zidane to Vinícius: the reinvention of Real Madrid
The galácticos have become the pragmáticos
Video
World news
NATO’s boss wants to free Ukraine to strike hard inside Russia
Jens Stoltenberg says the rules on using Western weapons should be eased
Rural white voters in Wisconsin could decide America’s election
They are less enthusiastic about Donald Trump than their counterparts elsewhere
The ICJ orders restraint from Israel in Rafah
But the court has no way to enforce its judgment, and there is no chance Israel will heed it
A second human case of bird flu in America is raising alarm
How close is the H5N1 outbreak to becoming the next pandemic?
Pro-natalist policies
Why paying women to have more babies won’t work
Economies must adapt to baby busts instead
Can the rich world escape its baby crisis?
Governments are splurging on handouts to avert catastrophe
Shrinking populations mean less growth and a more fractious world
Politicians must act now to avert the worst
Some good news about America’s fertility problem
Part of the decline in births should be celebrated
Britain’s election
UK election 2024
General-election forecast: will Labour destroy the Conservatives?
Our seat-by-seat prediction for Britain’s next Parliament
Rishi Sunak’s election call makes no sense, but is good news
Whether an act of political genius or lunacy, Britons should welcome it
Bagehot: Rishi Sunak’s snap election is odd and illogical—much like him
For a man who says he has a plan, the prime minister acts in an impulsive way
How will Britain vote on July 4th?
Spoiler: it is not looking good for Rishi Sunak
Business, finance and economics
Hacking phones is too easy. Time to make it harder
Regulators have avoided the problem for too long
Boaz v BlackRock: Whoever wins, closed-end funds lose
Farewell to a financial mystery
Schumpeter: Can anyone save the world’s most important diamond company?
De Beers is in peril
Can Nvidia be dethroned? Meet the startups vying for its crown
A new generation of AI chips is on the way
The Israel-Hamas war
The war-crimes case against the leaders of Israel and Hamas is flawed
Politics and diplomacy, not courts, are the key to ending violence and starting two-state talks
Who is Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court?
He has applied for an arrest warrant for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister
Powerful states are finding it harder to dodge legal challenges, says Marc Weller
The law professor believes the ICC’s creeping jurisdiction is part of a broader trend
The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu
His war cabinet and generals want a new plan—and a new boss
Iran after Raisi’s death
A president’s death gives Iran’s regime a choice
It will probably choose to keep alienating voters and antagonising the West
Iran’s new leaders stand at a nuclear precipice
The world’s atomic watchdog fears a terrifying regional arms race
The death of the president changes the power dynamic in Iran
The supreme leader’s son may be the beneficiary
Ebrahim Raisi was obsessed with the security of the people
The hardline president of Iran died in a helicopter crash on May 19th, aged 63
America’s election year
Fewer migrants are crossing America’s southern border
Joe Biden has Mexico to thank—for now
In brief
Nikki Haley will vote for Trump; Biden confirms 200th judge
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
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
Stories most read by subscribers
Featured read
India’s YouTubers take on Narendra Modi
In one corner of India’s internet, dissent survives. For now
The war in Ukraine
Ukraine’s desperate struggle to defend Kharkiv
It is holding off Russia’s attack — for now
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
Other highlights
A new age of sail begins
By harnessing wind power, high-tech sails can help cut marine pollution
The controversial cult of the host club in Japan
Why women pay men in make-up to flatter them
The hit series “Bridgerton” has set off a string-quartet boom
It is a surprising example of how popular culture can shape consumer habits
What if calling someone stupid was a crime?
Lionel Shriver imagines cancel culture going to even greater extremes
Weekly edition: May 25th 2024
Cash for kids: Why policies to boost birth rates don’t work
Where next for Iran?
The death of the president changes the power dynamic
Meet Nvidia’s challengers
A new generation of AI chips is on the way
How to save South Africa
The rainbow nation needs an alternative to decline under the ANC
Britain’s election surprise
Rishi Sunak’s election call makes no sense, but is good news
Special reports: May 11th 2024
Worlds apart
The American-led financial order is giving way to a more divided one
The global financial system is in danger of fragmenting
How crises reshaped the world financial system
The movement of capital globally is in decline
National payment systems are proliferating
The fight to dethrone the dollar
How the financial system would respond to a superpower war
Sources and acknowledgments
