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The US in brief

Trump's rally in the Bronx

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India’s election, economy and future. May 23rd, 4pm BST, 11am EST

Europe

NATO’s boss wants to free Ukraine to strike hard inside Russia

Jens Stoltenberg says the rules on using Western weapons should be eased

1843 magazine | As the Russians advance towards Kharkiv, Ukrainians head to the dance floor

After two years under bombardment, they are determined to live life to the full


United States

Rural white voters in Wisconsin could decide America’s election

They are less enthusiastic about Donald Trump than their counterparts elsewhere




The world in brief

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza and ordered Israel to allow investigators and journalists to visit the enclave...

China carried out a second day of military drills around Taiwan, including exercises designed to test its forces’ ability to “seize power” and “occupy key areas”...

The head of Russia’s security services told local media that the perpetrators of the attack on Crocus City Hall, a concert venue outside Moscow, were affiliated with Islamic State Khorasan Province, a terrorist group...

America’s car safety regulator said that its investigation into Waymo uncovered nine previously unknown incidents that raise concerns about the self-driving car developer’s technology...


Olaf Scholz on why Vladimir Putin’s brutal imperialism will fail

Germany’s chancellor says Europe needs more military muscle

Geopolitics helps reignite New Caledonia’s anti-colonial unrest

Emmanuel Macron makes an emergency dash to the troubled Pacific island

Dateline: The Economist history quiz

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The US in brief

Trump's rally in the Bronx

Dateline

Try The Economist's history quiz

Subscriber event

India’s election, economy and future. May 23rd, 4pm BST, 11am EST

Video

World news

Could the Labour Party blow its big opportunity?

Sir Keir Starmer’s party is terrified of letting victory slip through its fingers

Lexington: Politics is the law in Texas

A governor’s pardon implies that courts cannot be trusted, just as Donald Trump says


Emmanuel Macron has done Europe a favour, reckons Germany’s opposition leader

But Friedrich Merz insists that the continent has “no time to die”


Geopolitics helps reignite New Caledonia’s anti-colonial unrest

Emmanuel Macron makes an emergency dash to the troubled Pacific island


Business, finance and economics

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


Interactive 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



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Featured read

What’s behind Britain’s earthworm cataclysm?

Their numbers may have declined by a third

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


Mexico’s election

Criminal gangs are showing their muscle as Mexico’s elections loom

The next president must make the country safer

The probable next president outlines her plan to make Mexicans safer

The country needs reforms like those in the capital, says Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo


The main opposition candidate on how to fight organised crime in Mexico

New leadership and outside help are needed, says Xóchitl Gálvez


Could there be a US-Mexico trade war?

The bilateral trade deficit has exploded since Donald Trump was president


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


Cash for kids: Why policies to boost birth rates don’t work