Tessera

Gregg Carlstrom, our Middle East correspondent, looks at how war has affected aviation in the region

Middle East Dispatch: Flying through the Gulf is complicated

Gregg Carlstrom, our Middle East correspondent, looks at how war has affected aviation in the region

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“We need an approach that advances AI safety generally while avoiding the developments AI scientists are most fearful of,” write two professors in a guest essay. “Four changes by Congress would do that.” Register for free to learn what they are

What Congress can do to prevent an AI catastrophe

Lawrence Lessig and Yoshua Bengio suggest how to reduce serious risks without abandoning American technological leadership

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Tech podcasts are fascinated by AI. They are also an echo chamber, with a tin ear at times to the concerns of the rest of America bit.ly/4zoKa6a Illustration: Nicolás Ortega/Getty Images

In a sovereign-debt crisis, even understanding politics may not be enough

How to lose money betting against Europe

In a sovereign-debt crisis, even understanding politics may not be enough

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If Russia treats mobilised soldiers as cannon fodder, Vladimir Putin will get little more than caskets. But the Ukrainians will have more to fear if the new recruits are up to the standards of the North Korean troops who have fought for Russia

Russian men are fleeing before the army can grab them

Vladimir Putin looks poised for a huge wave of forced inductions

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The leader of the Cockroach party is detained and the internet shut down

India’s government fails to crush Gen Z protests

The leader of the Cockroach party is detained and the internet shut down

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Banknotes reveal something about British identity, writes Hugo Gye, our Britain political correspondent

Blighty newsletter: England’s new spirit animals

Banknotes reveal something about British identity, writes Hugo Gye, our Britain political correspondent

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You may not be a fan of Elon Musk. Perhaps you’re not even very interested in him. But this gruelling new documentary will make you realise that you have come to know a lot about the sometime trillionaire

“Musk” reminds you of how much you already know about Elon

It is hard to make a fresh documentary on a ubiquitous subject, Alex Gibney’s gruelling film shows

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Nostalgia and a desire for control are fuelling a boom in small things

What’s behind the big interest in miniatures?

Nostalgia and a desire for control are fuelling a boom in small things

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What counts as a cost-of-living crisis? For most people, the answer is obvious. They know it when they see it on their bills. We explain what can be done in the face of such misery bit.ly/4j7C6BY Illustration: Álvaro Bernis

Britons tend to squeeze black and Asian Europeans into familiar, post-colonial categories. To them, an African Italian is simply African. But some resist this flattening of their identities

In Britain, “European” doesn’t mean white

The country’s EU citizens are astonishingly diverse

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Friday in South Africa brought a gobsmacking juxtaposition, writes John McDermott, our Chief Africa correspondent

Analysing Africa newsletter: A Nobel and ignoble day for the rule of law

Friday in South Africa brought a gobsmacking juxtaposition, writes John McDermott, our Chief Africa correspondent

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The benefits of a citizens’ assembly would be “bypassing both voters’ mistrust of politicians and politicians’ incomplete understanding of voters’ attitudes towards reform”, claims Glenn Hubbard. Read his guest essay to learn how they could work in America

America needs a citizens’ assembly to reform Social Security

With politicians flailing, it’s worth trying an approach that has worked in Europe, argues Glenn Hubbard

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Donald Trump has failed to change voting rules. Cities and states are preparing for mischief anyway

America’s election officials are ready for trouble

Donald Trump has failed to change voting rules. Cities and states are preparing for mischief anyway

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Having an external locus of control—believing that you are shaped by luck and fate rather than influencing events—can hold individuals back. Register for free to read why children and companies might benefit from developing an internal locus

The quality you should most wish for your children

The benefits of having an internal locus of control

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Tech podcasts are fascinated by AI. They are also an echo chamber, with a tin ear at times to the concerns of the rest of America

Superstar podcasts are Silicon Valley’s way of talking to itself

But to much of the world, the sound is jarring

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Our weekly podcast on China. This week, what makes the seventh generation of Communist Party leaders different—and how could they shape the country?

China’s rising political stars

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, what makes the seventh generation of Communist Party leaders different—and how could they shape the country?

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Britain’s insect population has been shrinking for decades. If they could move between habitats, they might fare better. Bug highways could help make that happen

Conservationists are building highways for bugs

Britain makes a beeline for insect recovery

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EV batteries, especially, will help it secure supplies of critical minerals

China is turning trash into treasure on a vast scale

EV batteries, especially, will help it secure supplies of critical minerals

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Each year over 300m operations are conducted worldwide, according to the WHO. As the number continues to grow, some in the medical field are starting to ask an awkward question: how many are really necessary?

Many surgical interventions are little better than placebo

A succession of clinical trials is upending the field

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