One hour of sun
Costa Rica’s new mega-prison, designed by El Salvador. A strongman’s staying power, and a country with no army since 1948. & Is dictatorship winning?
Flags of convenience
Briefing: A second freighter in a week sinks mysteriously off Bulgaria. Navies are struggling to keep merchant ships safe. & What happened inside a Siberian plague lab?
Of unknown origin
The weekend despatch: Russia’s answer to the WHO about the mysterious death of a young researcher. Why outsiders have to take Moscow’s word for it. + Who’s John Congleton?
No undo button
Briefing: A youth movement called Cockroach, in the streets of India after 130 million names disappear from its rolls. The world’s biggest democracy, with a voter database that can delete but not restore. & Is the West cracking up?
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?
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”?
