The Economist explains
Subjects topical and timeless, profound and peculiar, explained with The Economist's trademark clarity and brevity
What are the obligations of Israel and Hamas to protect civilians?
International Humanitarian Law creates obligations—but contains numerous caveats
Why is so much of the internet’s infrastructure run by volunteers?
Malware smuggled into XZ Utils software highlights a bigger problem
The growing role of fighting robots on the ground in Ukraine
Drones already fill the skies. Now uncrewed vehicles are heading to the front lines
Why do cicadas have such a strange life cycle?
Two broods will soon emerge simultaneously for the first time in 221 years
How a home-improvement subsidy is wrecking Italy’s public finances
Government largesse is costing taxpayers
What is geoengineering?
Deliberately cooling the climate is an unsettling idea
Why are embassies supposed to be inviolable?
Ecuador’s raid on a Mexican embassy challenges a central principle of diplomacy
What are “golden visas”?
And why they are so controversial
Why the Moon needs its own time
The seconds really do pass more quickly up there
Why it is so rare to see a total solar eclipse
The Great North American eclipse should be cherished, because total eclipses will not happen for ever
How to define artificial general intelligence
Academics and tech entrepreneurs disagree. A court may soon decide
Gaza could face a famine by May. What does that mean?
Some parts of the strip are already experiencing “catastrophic hunger”
What is the Islamic State Khorasan Province?
The group that claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack is a growing threat to Russia—and the West
Will Texas succeed in enforcing its own immigration law?
The state’s latest challenge to the federal government’s powers, SB4, is in limbo
Might Russia run out of big guns?
Its armed forces may be out-shelling the Ukrainians—but they are wearing out their artillery
How can democracies respond to rigged elections?
A host of Western countries reject the results of Russia’s sham election
What is photo retouching and when is it permissible?
The edited photo of Kate Middleton shows what a minefield it can be
Who is Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Haiti’s most prominent gang leader?
The warlord is one of the country’s most powerful men—for now
Why Germany is reluctant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Olaf Scholz seems determined to defy pressure from Germany’s allies and domestic opposition
Why American cars are so big
A regulatory loophole that incentivised sales of big vehicles is about to be tightened
What is Hindutva, the ideology of India’s ruling party?
It seeks to equate Indianness with Hinduism
Does generative artificial intelligence infringe copyright?
Several lawsuits, one brought by the New York Times, could soon answer the question
Why do Nvidia’s chips dominate the AI market?
The firm has three big advantages
Can transgender women breastfeed?
Biological males may have a latent capacity to produce small amounts of milk
Why is Nikki Haley losing to Donald Trump on home ground?
The former governor of South Carolina is set to lose a primary showdown in her state on Saturday
What is Russia’s mysterious new space weapon?
Theories include a space-nuke or a nuclear-powered jammer
How Ukraine sank the Caesar Kunikov—and is beating Russia at sea
It is the fourth landing ship Ukraine has taken out in the Black Sea in seven months
Who is Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s probable next president?
The former general appears to have won the election, after rebranding himself as a cuddly character
How Donald Trump’s re-election would threaten NATO’s Article 5
And thus play into Russia’s hands
How to know when the world has passed 1.5°C of global warming
We explain in four charts
A history of settler violence in the West Bank
The number of attacks by Israelis on Palestinians has risen since October 7th
Why has The Economist changed its typeface?
Keen-eyed readers will have noticed that our website, app and print edition look different
What is an atmospheric river?
The storm systems battering California have a global reach
Why is there so much violence in Balochistan?
Militant groups in the region are a common problem for Iran and Pakistan
Can anyone do anything about Viktor Orban?
Hungary’s prime minister is blocking EU aid for Ukraine. Other governments are at their wits’ end
Did an Israeli hospital raid breach the laws of war?
Disguising a soldier as a doctor can be an act of “perfidy”
What on earth is happening in Poland?
The new government is aggressively undoing years of illiberal rule. The upshot is a constitutional mess
Why execution by nitrogen gas is so controversial
The new method of killing may amount to torture
The factions at the heart of a scandal in Japan’s ruling party
Promises to disband them may turn out to be hollow
What is prompt-engineering for artificial intelligence?
Effectively interacting with large language models is a valuable skill
Why have the Democrats changed their primary calendar?
New Hampshire is in open revolt
Will Republicans strike a border deal?
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are divided
Why a new temple to Ram in Ayodhya matters so much to Indians
For Hindus it fulfils a centuries-old desire. Its opening will burnish Narendra Modi’s image
How viable is Arctic shipping?
Russia is investing in the region
What is the point of coming second to Donald Trump?
Whatever happens in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley has boosted her political career
Why is America’s Congress being briefed on UFOs?
Lawmakers want to know more about the government’s classified files
How the Iowa caucuses are changing in 2024
Five decades of tradition have been overturned by the Democrats
Who is Lai Ching-te, the leader in Taiwan’s presidential race?
He may be softly spoken, but his words often anger China
Can Ukrainian drone attacks hurt Russia?
The country is stepping up its strikes on enemy bases, and on Crimea
How sanctions on Russia will change the diamond trade
New rules add up to the biggest shakeup of the industry in decades
How art is used against artists, like Young Thug, in court
The lyrics of rap music are regularly used as evidence in criminal trials
Could the Democrats replace Joe Biden as their presidential candidate?
Worries about his chances of re-election are growing
Why the price of olive oil is soaring
Climate change, export controls and soaring fertiliser costs leave a bitter taste
Who are the Houthis, the group attacking ships in the Red Sea?
The Yemeni rebel group is operating on the fringes of the Israel-Hamas war
What is krav maga?
More people are learning the Israeli self-defence technique
How Nayib Bukele is breaking presidential term limits in El Salvador
He subverts the system, but remains popular
How Israel is using drones in Gaza
They help keep troops out of the line of fire—but can pose a risk to civilians
What is antisemitism—and why do differences in interpretation matter?
Across the world, reports of the age-old prejudice have surged
What does it take to expel an American congressman?
George Santos has joined a select group
Why “offshoring” asylum-seekers rarely works
As caseloads rise in rich countries, governments are tempted to ship claimants abroad
Who are the Palestinians in Israel’s prisons?
Hamas hopes to swap more for Israeli hostages
Who is Geert Wilders, the surprise winner of the Dutch election?
The anti-Muslim populist has had a long career, but this is his best result yet
The A to Z of the Arab-Israeli conflict
From “Abraham accords” to “Zionism”
Was Israel’s attack on al-Shifa hospital justified?
Israel has so far offered little evidence that it was. More may yet turn up
What is Iran’s axis of resistance?
The country’s Middle Eastern network of allied militias has grown more powerful
The difference between a “ceasefire” and a “humanitarian pause”
And why it matters
What is Israel’s Iron Beam?
Deployment of a new laser system for air defence is being accelerated
How the term “genocide” is misused in the Israel-Hamas war
South Africa accuses Israel of committing the heinous crime
What is the American State Department’s “dissent channel”?
A 50-year-old system allows diplomats to criticise their bosses
Why covid-19 did not harm rich economies as badly as first thought
Britain and Italy have revised data for GDP during the pandemic
Who is Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces?
The lieutenant general is leading Israel’s war in Gaza—but may resign after it
Why Gaza’s refugee camps are so vulnerable
More than half of the enclave’s population are registered refugees
What’s weird about Ireland’s GDP?
Unlike most countries, the measure provides only limited insight into the size of the economy
Can Hamas’s casualty figures be trusted?
America doubts the numbers issued by Gazan officials. But there are good reasons to believe them
What limits do the laws of war impose on combatants?
The rules stretch back centuries, but not all are crystalline
How has Israel’s commercial airspace remained open?
Many airlines cancelled flights in the wake of the attack launched by Hamas
What evidence reveals about the Gaza hospital blast’s source
The damage points to a malfunctioning rocket, not an air strike
What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad?
Israel blames the group for a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza
What is Hizbullah?
The Iran-backed militia has long resented Israel
How China’s Belt and Road Initiative is changing
The many motivations behind Xi Jinping’s key foreign policy
A short history of Gaza
To understand this war, consider the territory’s past
Why the Polish election campaign has been so vicious
A knife’s-edge vote has turned into a sword fight
How powerful is Hamas?
Long politically dominant in Gaza, it has become better equipped militarily
How America’s House of Representatives will choose a speaker
Jim Jordan is hoping to land the job—and end the chaos—on October 17th
Why France has worked itself into a frenzy about bedbugs
The thought of the unpleasant critters is worse than the threat they pose
Can Russia repeat its winter bombing of Ukraine’s electricity grid?
Estimates of its capacity to make missiles vary
What happens if America’s government shuts down this weekend?
For starters, millions of people will not get paid
What is America’s farm bill, and why does it matter?
It has transformed the agriculture industry and given millions of Americans food security
Why Poland is halting its supply of weapons to Ukraine
A row over duty-free grain has escalated rapidly—but Poland’s government is also posturing
Could the 14th Amendment bar Donald Trump from becoming president again?
Some conservative legal scholars think so—but the idea is a long shot
What is Khalistan, the independent homeland some Sikhs yearn for?
The separatist movement is now largely propagated from abroad
Will India change its name to Bharat?
Rebranding might excite some Hindu nationalists, but would be painful
Why America’s Republicans want to bomb Mexico
Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric has entered the mainstream of his party
What are Hycean worlds, a proposed new habitat for life?
Astronomers may have found a new type of life-friendly planet
Why Venice will charge tourists to enter
Some hotspots are seriously overcrowded. But the allure of the tourist dollar is hard to resist
How to escape from prison
It is getting harder but remains possible, as Daniel Khalife proved
Why France is banning Muslim clothing in schools (again)
Some politicians believe that the country’s secular tradition is at stake
A primer on Trump’s criminal trials
They will shape the drama of this year’s presidential election
What is Australia’s “Voice to Parliament”?
The country will vote on whether to give Aboriginal people a constitutional right to consultation
Why some British school buildings might be unsafe
And why reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete crumbles

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