Shoal searching: the South China sea simmers

We examine what our forecast model predicts so far—and consider what might change its confident prediction for one house of Congress and toss-up call for the other. Our correspondent sits down with Steve Reich, a pioneering classical composer who is nearing his 90th birthday. And ...  Show more

The decision of Anthropic, an AI giant, to keep its Mythos model sequestered surely makes for good press. But there seems to be more to it than that—and it might change the whole industry’s approach. Indian politicians are chasing female voters more than ever; we question the mea ...  Show more

A constellation of islands, reefs and rock-piles has been the source of disputes for decades. As a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/09/12/more-storms-are-brewing-in-the-south-china-sea?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_ ...

Russia’s dark-fleet maritime operations and brazen incursions into NATO airspace appear to be precision-engineered to test Western resolve. We ask how this new phase of aggression may end. Our correspondent reports from Madagascar, where young people are leading unprecedented ant ...  Show more

The United Arab Emirates projects an image of level-headed calm in the Gulf. Its actions abroad, however, betray a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/04/16/the-uae-preaches-unity-at-home-but-pursues-division-abroad?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio ...

For the past week in Indonesia, protesters have taken to the streets and cities have burned. President Prabowo is still popular – now he faces a big test. Climate change threatens the collapse of an Atlantic current that helps make Europe habitable. And facekinis become a fashion ...  Show more