The world this week

Politics
Business
The weekly cartoon
This week’s covers
Leaders


Starmer’s woes
The sinking feeling caused by Labour’s clumsy start
Britain’s new government is paying for the sins of the election campaign

Zelensky in Washington
The war is going badly. Ukraine and its allies must change course
Time for credible war aims—and NATO membership

Leash the dogs of war
An Israel-Hizbullah war would be a disaster for both
Both must find a way to step back

The case for taxing consumption
If you must raise taxes, raise VAT
Taxing consumption is economically efficient and politically possible

Anura Kumara Dissanayake
How worried should Sri Lanka be about its ex-Marxist president?
He is not as bad as he sounds. But the risk of disappointment is high

The future of television
YouTube’s do-it-yourself brigade is taking on Netflix and Disney
Legions of self-taught film-makers are coming for the television industry

Letters

On car safety, the UN and Palestinians, Chinese data, leaving work, museums
Letters to the editor
By Invitation


The drugs don’t work
Ara Darzi on why antibiotic resistance could be deadlier than cancer
COP29
COP29 is greenwashing a dictatorship, writes Azerbaijan’s main opposition leader
Briefing


A widening breach
Ukraine is on the defensive, militarily, economically and diplomatically
Russian advances, fatigue among its allies and political divisions at home leave it in a bind
Asia


All change
An upset in Sri Lanka propels an outsider into power
Tailored solutions
How India can compete in labour-intensive manufacturing
Going soft
Has the Quad lost its way?
Banyan
Who will become Japan’s next prime minister?
China


Looking up in frustration
A new class struggle is brewing in China
Hate thy neighbour
Another attack on a Japanese local points to a big problem in China
Brains-trust blues
Xi Jinping wants to stifle thinking at a top Chinese think-tank
United States


Money for nothing
Kamala Harris is outspending Donald Trump. Will it matter?
Hizzoner and dishonour
Eric Adams, New York’s mayor, is indicted on bribery charges
Campaign calculus: mini-landslides
Recent special elections bode well for Democrats
A little secret, the Robinson affair
Mark Robinson has hijacked his own campaign in North Carolina
Direct democracy
Kamalamania and the drive for abortion rights are a potent mix
Hard cell
America’s growing row over policies for transgender prisoners
Lexington
What J.D. Vance is learning from Donald Trump

Middle East & Africa


History repeating
Hizbullah seems to have miscalculated in its fight with Israel
The view from Beirut
The flight from southern Lebanon has been swift
Iran’s calculations
Iran’s damage-limitation efforts may not go to plan
Second time as farce
Tunisia’s strongman president looks set to win another term in office
Let the sunlight in
Building an African multinational
Protecting wildlife
Can shooting some elephants save many others?
The Americas


Evelyn Matthei
The woman who will lead Chile’s counter-revolution
Remote workers
Digital nomads are a force for good in Latin America
Mexican politics
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is militarising public security
Europe


Giant steppes
Turkey and Central Asia are riding together again
Building Fortress Austria
Austria’s xenophobic right edges towards victory
French evolution
France’s new coalition yanks the country a step to the right
A worrying turn
Turkey wants the EU to regulate the döner kebab
OK boomer
American long-range missiles are coming back to Europe
Charlemagne
A banking raid in Europe kicks up an unseemly nationalist defence
Britain


Sir Unclear Starmer
What is Britain’s Labour government for?
Loosening the chains
Britain’s budget choices are not as bad as the government says
The right reaction
Much keener on Trump, less sure about Charles III
The gravest questions
Why did Mohamed Al Fayed escape scrutiny?
Help yourselves
The self-help book began in the land of the stiff upper lip
A healthy balance-sheet
Should Britons’ health be considered a national asset?
Bagehot
Inside the chaos machine of British politics
International


Autocratic alliances
A new “quartet of chaos” threatens America
Business


Old v new media
YouTubers like MrBeast are coming for Hollywood
Electric shock
Northvolt announces more cuts, worrying investors
Star-crossed
The curse of the Michelin star
Barbell effect
The rise of the $40,000 gym membership
Silicon sally
Can dealmaking save Intel?
Bartleby
The hell of the sandwich lunch
Schumpeter
Is a Nike lifer the best person to revive the swoosh?
Finance & economics


Political economy
Governments are bigger than ever. They are also more useless
No rush
China’s central bank tries to save the economy—and the stockmarket
International debt
How lower American interest rates will boost Africa
Financial conflict
Can Israel’s economy survive an all-out war with Hizbullah?
Fuel to the fire
Is the world sleepwalking into another gas crisis?
Buttonwood
A Wall Street state of mind has captured America
Free exchange
Why the Federal Reserve is split on the future of interest rates
Science & technology


CAR-T therapy
Immune therapy shows promise for asthma, heart disease—and even ageing
Water, water everywhere
New technologies can spot pesky leaks in water pipelines
VIPER
NASA is selling a brand-new Moon rover
Extra extra mature
The world’s oldest cheese sheds light on ancient Chinese culture
Culture


The edifice complex
What “supertall” skyscrapers reveal about the countries that build them
Rocket management
The SpaceX guide to exceptional engineering
Bad boys
An Indian hijack drama, “IC 814”, dares to portray terrorists as human
Back Story
Sally Rooney shows how to escape the trap of success
The centre did not hold
Understanding the Republican Party’s rightward march
The Economist reads


The Economist reads
An introduction to Lebanon, perhaps the next front in a wider war
Economic & financial indicators

Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary