Be mine: Labour’s courtship of business | May 11th 2024 | The Economist (2024)

The world this week Leaders What companies can expect if Labour wins Britain’s election The liberal international order is slowly coming apart How “judge-mandering” is eroding trust in America’s judiciary The world’s most improbable success story still needs to evolve Threats to Europe’s economy are mounting. Finance can help fortify it How to pacify the world’s most violent region Letters Letters to the editor By Invitation Chigozie Obioma laments the West’s growing ideological tribalism Briefing The world’s economic order is breaking down Britain The Labour Party’s grand bargain with business Who is Angela Rayner? Could the Greens become a force in British politics? Wayve achieves Britain’s largest-ever fundraising round Now it’s Prince William’s turn to shape British town planning The Conservatives’ world has disappeared. Don’t tell Rishi Sunak Europe Ukraine’s defenders anxiously dig in for a looming Russian assault Dealers are selling war trophies to buy weapons for Ukraine Protests against a Russian-style law threaten Georgia’s government Romania’s hard right looks strong in a year of four elections Why Eurovision won’t boot out Israel National days offer a study into the inner psyche of Europeans United States America’s federal district courts may soon be harder to manipulate Plenty of circ*mstantial evidence at Donald Trump’s trial American pupils have missed too much school since the pandemic How Kristi Noem missed her shot to be vice-president Why online marketplaces have not killed the estate sale Will unions sweep the American South? Why the Republicans will convene in a forge of American socialism Middle East & Africa After a dramatic week in Gaza, where does the war stand? Why are Arab armed forces so ineffective? Under Joe Biden, America struggles to reassert itself in Africa The Americas The world’s most violent region needs a new approach to crime Rural Colombia welcomes gangs that mete out vigilante justice Asia An interview with Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s next PM Singapore has achieved astounding economic success In South-East Asia, the war in Gaza is roiling emotions India has quietly transformed its ports China Visiting Europe, Xi Jinping brings up an old grievance Why young Russian women appear so eager to marry Chinese men In today’s China, to get rich is perilous International The world’s rules-based order is cracking Special report The global financial system is in danger of fragmenting How crises reshaped the world financial system The movement of capital globally is in decline National payment systems are proliferating The fight to dethrone the dollar How the financial system would respond to a superpower war Sources and acknowledgments Business Big tech’s great AI power grab AI and other tricks are bringing power lines into the 21st century Is America Inc’s war for talent over? For Gen-Z job-seekers, TikTok is the new LinkedIn Will chatbots eat India’s IT industry? Can Alibaba get the magic back? Finance & economics What would get China’s consumers spending? How Ukrainian farmers are using the cover of war to escape taxes Why the global cocoa market is melting down Against expectations, European banks are thriving Banks, at least, are making money from a turbulent world Could America and its allies club together to weaken the dollar? What Xi Jinping gets wrong about China’s economy Science & technology Archaeologists identify the birthplace of the mysterious Yamnaya Wind turbines keep getting bigger New crop-spraying technologies are more efficient than ever To stay fit, future Moon-dwellers will need special workouts Culture True tales of secrecy, opacity and outright thievery in art What strategies actually work to fight dying? Why Beethoven’s ninth appeals to democrats and despots alike In its 200 years the National Gallery has mirrored Britain American comedy has become too safe on TV How the chilli pepper has set fire to the internet in China The Economist reads These books reveal why the brain is the biggest mystery of all Economic & financial indicators Economic data, commodities and markets The Economist explains Could the International Criminal Court indict Binyamin Netanyahu? Obituary Anne Innis Dagg devoted her life to the world’s tallest creature