The kingdom and the machine
The weekend despatch: Saudi Arabia’s bid to spring the accused OpenAI eavesdropper—at any price. Foreign powers and the secrets of the AI race. + What’s a lawyer doing in the DJ booth at Berlin’s Berghain?
Target list
Armed U.S. immigration agents at the door, checking citizenship before the midterms. An old American fight over who gets to vote. & Why does American politics seem to have gotten so nasty?
‘A low but solid virtue’
Feature: Why does American politics seem to have gotten so nasty? Teresa Bejan on the difference between good and bad civility in a democracy.
‘Not so much on Ukraine’
Russia’s pitch for a summit with the U.S. and China. A 1994 trade: 1,900 warheads for a promise. & Was blowing up Nord Stream a war crime?
‘So they can own us’
Alberta’s vote on leaving Canada. A Trump effect on the prairie, and Quebec’s “until the next time.” & Who’s behind the chaos in France?
The usual suspects
The weekend despatch: High schools in flames across France. A government blaming its rivals, months before an election. + Who is Marina Herlop?
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?
‘Keeping up appearances’
Feature: Is dictatorship winning? Adam Przeworski on the puzzle of the world’s richer, angrier voters.
Flags of convenience
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?
Applause in Nuremberg
American sanctions on the world’s war-crimes court, hours after a former judge wins the Nobel. The fight over who answers to international law. & What happened inside a Siberian plague lab?
