THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – AUGUST 1, 2026 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The global currency beef’ – Lessons from 40 years of the Big Mac Index

What the Big Mac index reveals about a global currency beef

It highlights economic problems—and helps explain how to solve them

It is past time to upgrade to post-quantum encryption

When the quantum breakthrough comes, data being harvested today will be exposed

China is testing America’s defence lines in Asia

The allies must work to strengthen themselves, but also to strengthen America’s commitment

Europe’s fires are just the start

They are not a new normal. But worse can nonetheless be expected

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS – AUGUST 20, 2026

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features

Artful Weaving

The most authentic thing about Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is its densely braided narrative, but its tormented hero sounds like the heroes of Christopher Nolan movies.

Whose Party?

As Democratic Socialists rack up primary victories, the moderate wing of the Democratic Party looks increasingly out of touch.

Trump’s Constitutional Dictatorship

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s inside account of the Trump administration portrays a president with a vast appetite for power but who repeatedly backs down when the costs of his actions become too high.

Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

Out of the Rubble

In novels written immediately after World War II, Wolfgang Koeppen mined the conscience of Germany.

Pigeons on the Grass by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German by Michael Hofmann

The Hothouse by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German and with an afterword by Michael Hofmann, with an introduction by Pankaj Mishra

Death in Rome by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German and with an afterword by Michael Hofmann, with an introduction by Joshua Cohen

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026

Markets Challenge Warsh’s Approach to Taming Inflation

Kevin Warsh has made controlling inflation his top priority as Federal Reserve chairman. But a hesitancy to embrace the prospects of higher rates has set off a backlash.

U.S. Economy Grew More Slowly in the Second Quarter

Gross domestic product grew at a 1.5 percent annual rate over the past three months, as war in the Middle East shook energy prices and supply chains.

Mideast Teeters on Brink of Expanded War as Iran and U.S. Resume Attacks

Egypt said it had come under attack from an unidentified drone. Earlier, Saudi Arabia acknowledged direct involvement in the war for the first time.

Trump Encounters a More Determined Iran as War Widens

The U.S. is again exchanging strikes with Iran, just days after President Trump appeared to reject plans to escalate.

Poland’s Leader Says Russian Missile May Have Struck Its Territory During Ukraine Attack

Russian missiles have briefly entered Polish airspace in the past. Investigators have yet to definitively identify the object that struck Poland overnight.

Russia Hits Ukraine With Missiles and Drones, Killing at Least 8

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that a family of five had been killed in the latest in a series of large-scale aerial assaults by Moscow.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY —- JULY 31, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘Bugs in the System’ – How India’s Cockroach Movement Undermined Modi….

The news agenda has been so dominated for many months by a few big stories about perennial global hotspots and the biggest figures on the international stage, that one could accuse journalists of missing what was happening outside the US, Middle East or Ukraine. But as our south-east Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, explains for this week’s big story, the rapid rise and sudden explosion on to the streets of India’s Cockroach Janta party took everyone – especially Narendra Modi’s government – by surprise.

What began as a satirical protest when the chief justice of India compared the country’s unemployed youth to cockroaches has damaged prime minister Modi’s image as a “strongman” leader and loosened his grip over the media. But as Hannah explains, it’s not just that the joke has “legs” and strong visuals; young people want a viable future and change.

Spotlight | ‘Smoke covered the sun’
Angelique Chrisafis hears from people evacuated from France’s Gironde region near Bordeaux as southern Europe battles wildfires, the spread and ferocity of which have shocked everyone

Spotlight | Blue horizons for Gaza’s children
Sea pools made out of sandbags and rubble are part of Amjed Tantesh’s project to give traumatised children a brief respite from war, reports his niece and our Gaza reporter Seham Tantesh

Feature | A Hiroshima journey from anger to peace
Simon Hattenstone meets Koko Kondo, who survived the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and hears about the publication of her father’s long-forgotten diary written in the aftermath of that horrific day in 1945

Opinion | Andy Burnham’s ticket to major change
The UK prime minister’s first policy announcement on cut-price bus fares signals more than a cheap gimmick, says Jonathan Freedland

Culture | John Carpenter interview
The uncompromising film director talks to Steve Rose about his shock and horror Hollywood career and his new music album

THE NEW STATESMAN MAGAZINE – JULY 31, 2026

THE NEW STATESMAN: The latest issue features ‘The New Terror’ – How the nuclear shadow returned….

The new nuclear terror

Our Cold War nightmares have returned as a global arms race By Katie Stallard

The responsibility of scientists

We created the nuclear monster. We must warn against it now By Carlo Rovelli

Andy Burnham’s shtick won’t work on Donald Trump

Maga officials view the “special relationship” as insulting By Freddie Hayward

Inside the Green Party’s defence divide

The left-wing faction behind Zack Polanski has called on the party to oppose increases to defence spending By Megan Kenyon

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2026

U.S. and Saudi Airstrikes Drag More Countries Into Fighting

Global oil prices jumped after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia said they had carried out joint airstrikes on Iranian proxies in Iraq.

Houthis Claim Strike on Another Saudi Oil Tanker

A.I. Companies Are Recruiting Electricians and Carpenters by the Thousands

The future of artificial intelligence depends on finding more skilled humans for some very physical jobs.

Mark Zuckerberg Blasts Centralization of A.I. Power

Europe’s Summer of Reckoning Is ‘Just the Beginning’

The continent is experiencing some of its biggest fires and highest temperatures ever. Residents are fleeing, leaders are struggling to respond and “it will get worse,” one climate expert said.

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 29, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features

All the small things

We overlook the importance of insects at our peril, says Charles Harris, as he marvels at the fruit flies that share our genes and the moths that supply strands of silk

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

A room with a clue

Deborah Nicholls-Lee searches high and low for the concealed rooms and secret spaces that are an intriguing quirk of so many British country houses

Luxury

Facials, fragrance and bold and beautiful summer jewellery with Amie Elizabeth White, plus a few of the Duchess of Beaufort’s favourite things

Born to be wild

Charles Quest-Ritson visits East Lambrook Manor in Somerset and is heartened to find the home of Margery Fish’s ‘jungle gardening’ in good hands

Vicki Anstey’s favourite painting

The adventurer chooses a work showcasing human resilience

Country-house treasure

John Goodall surveys artworks by the Staithes Group — the first English Impressionists — at Brockfield Hall, North Yorkshire

Revival and renewal

In the second of two articles, John Goodall explores James Wyatt’s influence on the interiors at Curraghmore in Co Waterford

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

The legacy

Kate Green lauds Benjamin Britten’s lasting impact on Arts and culture in his beloved Suffolk

Winging it

Mark Cocker examines the folklore and infamy of the magpie

Where there’s a grill, there’s a way

John Lewis-Stempel reads the smoke signals as a barbecue fires up Neolithic nostalgia

Alders and betters

Alnus glutinosa is an ancient pioneer species with a key role to play on our riverbanks, as Vicky Liddell discovers

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires the colour and comfort added to a Jersey farmhouse and a splash of zest is best for Amelia Thorpe

Travel

Rosie Paterson enjoys an island paradise off France’s Côte d’Azur

Arts & antiques

Grégoire the grey toad brings a wealth of pleasure to Frederick Fischer, Lalique UK managing director, as he tells Carla Passino

A kind of magic

Multi-talented, multi-disciplinary artist Es Devlin shares the secret of her success with Corinne Julius

And much more

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026

Why Iran Is in No Rush to Return to Talks With the U.S.

Iran’s leaders are betting that they can endure more pain than President Trump and have leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, analysts say.

Trump Backs New Round of Diplomacy, but It’s Unclear What He Hopes to Achieve

Many Feared Trapped in Mall Collapse After Japan Earthquake, Officials Say

Emergency workers were racing to find people and extinguish fires after the 6.8-magnitude quake struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto.

Has the Trump-Zelensky Relationship Thawed?

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is set to meet President Trump in Washington today. Their relationship appears stronger than ever.

Ukraine’s Strike on an Iranian Ship Could Bring Two Wars Closer

The attack in the Caspian Sea was an unusually direct encounter between two countries that have been on opposite sides for years.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE – AUGUST 3, 2026 PREVIEW

A brightly colored summer scene of a woman taking a break in the summer heat.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE: The latest issue cover features Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet’s “Repose” – Soaking up the sun. By Françoise Mouly

Which Way Should the Democratic Party Go Now?

It’s been a tumultuous primary season, but is this the Democrats’ Tea Party moment? Or is something more pragmatic emerging? By Benjamin Wallace-Wells

How Netanyahu’s Top General Became His Strongest Challenger

Gadi Eisenkot, whose view of war is shaped by the loss of his son, is, in manner and character, the anti-Bibi. By David Remnick

The Men Who Made Theory French

French theory, as taught in American classrooms, has acquired a reputation of forbidding difficulty and hauteur. A new history seeks to surface its human side. By Dayna Tortorici

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, JULY 27, 2026

How the Houthis Cornered Saudi Arabia Into a New Battle

The Iran-backed Houthis have seized on a vulnerable moment for Saudi Arabia to try to force political concessions in Yemen.

In Washington, Israel’s Netanyahu Faces a Balancing Act

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to meet President Trump on Tuesday, with one eye on Iran and another on the upcoming elections back home.

Can a Progressive Win in a Purple State? Abdul El-Sayed Wants to Find Out.

Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary is a critical front in the fight between Democrats’ progressive and moderate flanks and a preview of the 2028 presidential primary.

He Tried to Overturn an Election. Now He Hopes to Run Them.

Arizona Republican voters nominated Alexander Kolodin for their secretary of state, despite — or perhaps because of — his election denial efforts.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious