Leaders
Phew, it’s a girl!
The stunning decline of the preference for having boys
Millions of girls were aborted for being girls. Now parents often lean towards them
Capital pains
America’s tax on foreign investors could do more damage than tariffs
Provisions in the Republican budget are a dangerous step
Lessons from Ukraine
The West is rethinking how to fight wars
Ukraine’s daring raid on Russia has lessons for European armed forces. But they need cash, too
Asia’s forgotten hellscape
Myanmar is a demonstration of Chinese hegemony in action
China is playing all sides in the country’s bloody civil war
Guerrillas v gorillas
Africa’s most admired dictator rolls the dice
Kagame’s intervention in Congo threatens his legacy at home
Letters
A selection of correspondence
Has crime fallen in Britain?
By Invitation
Briefing
The fairer sex
More and more parents around the world prefer girls to boys
The bias in favour of boys is shrinking in developing countries even as a preference for girls emerges in the rich world
Asia
Follow the pipeline
China is benefiting from the hell in Myanmar
Playing all sides
China calls the shots in Myanmar’s civil war
Martial law, impeachment and, finally, a new president
Lee Jae-myung is South Korea’s next president
You are… somewhere
The real reason Indians are lost
Indian universities
Can India create its own Ivy League?
China
The Chinese economy
China is waking up from its property nightmare
Studying abroad isn’t so sexy
Chinese students want an American education less than they used to
Race to the bottom
Now China’s ultra-cheap EVs are scaring China
United States
DOGE bites man
Elon Musk’s failure in government
Squeezing the brakes
Police are cracking down on cyclists in New York City
Primary colours
What a New Jersey election says about MAGA America
Election daze
Why stricter voting laws no longer help Republicans
The Americas
Still divided
Slums, swimming pools and Latin America’s inequality
Multi-ethnic, mega-corrupt
Suriname’s chaotic democracy just chose its first woman president
Middle East & Africa
The Clausewitz of Africa
Africa’s cynical master of power politics
The Israeli far right
Israel “won’t commit suicide”, says the government’s ideologue
A lasting peace?
Kurdish armed groups are laying down their weapons
Europe
German militarism
Germany is building a big scary army
Populist pugilist
What Poland’s new president means for Europe
Drones and diplomacy
Ukraine smashes Russia’s air force and a key bridge
Populist paralysis
The hard-right’s champion blows up the Dutch government
Britain
Defence plans
Britain’s ambitious plan to rearm looks underfunded
Fire and furore
A ruling in Britain stokes fears of backdoor blasphemy laws
AI and social care
Britain’s AI-care revolution isn’t flashy—but it is the future
Fixing public buildings
Manchester’s Town Hall renovation will be late, costly and worth it
International
Business
Media’s first family
Even as the Murdochs bitterly feud, their empire thrives
A degree of uncertainty
Which universities will be hit hardest by Trump’s war on foreign students?
Power brokers
How managing energy demand got glamorous
Retail therapy
What Bicester Village says about the luxury industry
Yet another day of rest?
Germany thinks about cancelling a public holiday
Finance & economics
Taking liberties
Trump thinks Americans consume too much. He has a point
Capitol controls
Who would pay America’s “revenge tax” on foreigners?
Tracking prices
Trump’s tariffs have so far caused little inflation
Reality sheikh
Will the UAE break OPEC?
Science & technology
Glimmers of hope
The Alzheimer’s drug pipeline is healthier than you might think
Scrollytelling
How old are the Dead Sea Scrolls? An AI model can help
Well informed
How much coffee is too much?
Culture
Spine-tingling
The 40 best books published so far this year
Blooming expensive
Would you pay $100,000 for an orchid?
Stay tuned
Hit songs are getting shorter
Material benefits
African architects have cool designs for a warming planet
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary
The queen of consciousness