France’s centre cannot hold | Jun 29th 2024 | The Economist (2024)

The world this week Leaders Keir Starmer should be Britain’s next prime minister What to make of Joe Biden’s plans for a second term Simple steps to stop people dying from heatwaves A pivotal moment for China’s Communist Party LLMs now write lots of science. Good Macron has done well by France. But he risks throwing it all away Letters Letters to the editor By Invitation A hard-right government might disrupt France’s relations with Europe A business leader on why he’s backing Donald Trump Briefing What would Joe Biden actually do with a second term? United States Young voters strongly favour Joe Biden, but will they turn out? True-crime fans are banding together online to try to solve cases Przekrój, an iconic Polish magazine, relaunches in America Non-white American parents are embracing AI faster than white ones What to make of the US Supreme Court’s latest abortion ruling Research into trans medicine has been manipulated In New York, the Democratic establishment strikes back The Americas An apparent coup in Bolivia founders, but the country remains in trouble Vancouver pioneered liberal drug policies. Fentanyl destroyed them A Kenyan-led security mission finally starts to arrive in Haiti Asia Meet the incels and anti-feminists in Asia Casinos are booming in South-East Asia Narendra Modi needs to win over low-income Indians Takashima Ryosuke is Japan’s youngest ever mayor Ancient artistic loot will finally make its way back to Cambodia China The surprisingly frank economic advice that Xi Jinping gets Roxie, one of China’s few lesbian bars, closes its doors Health-care reform is upending the lives of China’s doctors China’s probe returns from the far side of the moon Middle East & Africa The “Venice of Africa” is sinking into the sea Mauritania is a beacon of stability in the coup-prone Sahel A new breed of protest has left Kenya’s president tottering Is the American-built pier in Gaza useful or a fiasco? The job of Iran’s president is a study in humiliation Europe Emmanuel Macron’s centrists are facing a disastrous first-round vote European gangs are getting better at making their own illegal drugs Death and destruction in a Russian city Finland’s shrinking high schools are importing pupils from abroad Can António Costa make a success of the world’s hardest political gig? Britain What the remaking of Labour reveals about Sir Keir Starmer The Economist’s final prediction points to a Tory wipeout in Britain On shame, Liz Truss and the turnip Taliban The British election is not close. But the race in Bicester is The cost of Britain’s cast of ex-prime ministers is mounting Julian Assange’s plea deal: a suitable end to a grubby saga Why the next Westminster scandal is already here International The rise of the truly cruel summer Business Is the revival of Paris in peril? European millionaires seek a safe harbour from populism A new lab and a new paper reignite an old AI debate Why everyone should think like a lawyer Why big oil is wading into lithium Boom times are back for container shipping Who shaved $250bn from Kweichow Moutai’s market value? Is artificial intelligence making big tech too big? Finance & economics Will services make the world rich? American stocks are consuming global markets How Chinese goods dodge American tariffs McDonald’s v Burger King: what a price war means for inflation Is coal the new gold? The economics of the tennis v pickleball contest Science & technology The race to prevent satellite Armageddon A deadly new strain of mpox is raising alarm At least 10% of research may already be co-authored by AI Culture Donald Trump’s return is making Hollywood nervous What ails Britain’s left-behind places? A clear-eyed account of Ukraine under siege The döner kebab has a meaty role in German society How Kronos became the world’s most innovative string quartet Why travel guidebooks are not going anywhere The Economist reads Books (and films) about the joy and pain of music festivals Economic & financial indicators Economic data, commodities and markets Obituary Willie Mays’s philosophy was simple: They throw the ball, I hit the ball References