Dead air in Rio
Briefing: A shambles over Brazil’s last TV debate before Sunday’s presidential election. Candidates who’d rather not be questioned. & What’s in the weekend despatch?
The sheikh don’t like it
The weekend despatch: The question of motive behind the sham deals of one of global football’s richest clubs. The rising sea off California. + What’s happening in Eau Claire, Wisconsin?
Barricades at the gate
Briefing: France’s teenage revolt over packed, overheated classrooms. The prime minister’s crisis cell, and the hard-left party he’s blaming. & Why does Europe run on American tech?
‘Weaponized interdependence’
Feature: Why does Europe run on American tech? Filippo Blancato on a bargain that seemed to make sense at the time.
The tank on the dock
Briefing: Canadian whisky turned back at the border at midnight. Whey, molasses, and two models of Can-Am motorcycle barred with it. & Why did Beijing break its promise to Hong Kong so early?
Public enemy
Briefing: Who cares about Jimmy Lai? The last time a Chinese state visit ended with a political prisoner going free. & Is China as strong as it looks?
Out of sight
The weekend despatch: How stable is China? The threat of Hong Kong. + What was John Coltrane’s “churning tension”?
Orwell’s list
Briefing: London’s new center against foreign disinformation. A national gloom, and where it starts. & Why does nothing in the United Kingdom seem to work?
‘Oh, the empire of course’
Feature: Why does nothing in the United Kingdom seem to work? A.G. Hopkins on the decades of self-inflicted wounds that have hollowed out the British state.
The guest list
Briefing: Washington’s call for the members of the international war-crimes court to quit it. The UN General Assembly’s vote for a barred head of state to speak remotely. & An anti-war party banned from Russia’s elections for copyright infringement?
