Global living standards are moving in the wrong direction
Climate change and conflict could make things even worse
LIFE IN THE 2020s is tough. In most developed countries the pandemic created the biggest fall in life expectancy since the second world war. A deadly conflict in Ukraine is pushing up the cost of everything from energy to a loaf of bread. And amid all of the acute challenges, long-term ones have not gone away: climate change is a growing threat, as record droughts, heatwaves and floods in various parts of the world show.
Russia’s summer Ukraine offensive looks like its deadliest yet
Our analysis of what it has cost both sides
Why was the flooding in Texas so deadly?
A mixture of geography, catastrophic rainfall and a lack of preparedness
Ten charts to explain Trump’s big, beautiful bill
The overhaul of taxation and spending spells trouble for America
Iran has come back online—for now
The regime has a long history of cutting access to the internet
Mapping Iran’s nuclear programme
American and Israeli strikes have done clear damage, but uncertainties remain about what has survived
How often do ceasefires in the Middle East work?
Donald Trump says he expects the Iran-Israel truce to last forever. Our analysis of more than 2,000 truces suggests that’s optimistic