Stormont weather: elections in Northern Irela...

The rise of generative AI has put new urgency into ancient questions. What is consciousness, and can machines ever have it? We dive into the data that reveal a surge in sexually transmitted infections in Europe. And our obituaries editor considers the life of Mary de Rachewiltz, ...  Show more

From anti-corruption probes to a disgruntled ex-minister calling for elections to disrupted grain shipments, headaches are mounting for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. China has until now coped with a patchy, pricey system for mental-health treatment. The government is no ...  Show more

This week millions of voters will head to the ballot box as more than 8,000 council seats in England are in contested in local elections. The vote will be the last big electoral test of public opinion before the next general election. On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson is joine ...  Show more

The possibilities for an inevitable coalition government are a head-spinning colour wheel of party logos. We look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-german-election-polls-prediction-forecast?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=thein ...

As voting in the local elections begins, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman’s polling expert Ben Walker to discuss key councils to watch and predict the outcome. They talk about the driving forces behind people’s votes, from partygate and rising living costs to potho ...  Show more

In some places, votes resulted in political chaos; in others they showed a promising shift away from identity politics. Our deputy editor looks back on 2024’s pile of polls. Looking ahead, we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2024/11/20/which-are-c ...