“I spent 9 days on a road trip across the Himalayas , going to some of the most remote and least explored regions in India, travelling upto 17,000 feet above sea level and down to -10°C. These areas included Upper Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Kargil and Kashmir.”
The costs of taming price rises could prove too unpalatable for central banks
At first glance the world economy appears to have escaped from a tight spot. In the United States annual inflation has fallen to 4%, having approached double digits last year. A recession is nowhere in sight and the Federal Reserve has felt able to take a break from raising interest rates. After a gruesome 2022, stockmarkets have been celebrating: the s&p 500 index of American firms has risen by 14% so far this year, propelled by a resurgence in tech stocks. Only in Britain does inflation seem to be worryingly entrenched.
For Russia’s war to fail, Ukraine must emerge prosperous, democratic and secure
Ukraine’s war is raging on two fronts. On the 1,000km battlefront its armies are attacking the Russians’ deep defences. At the same time, on the home front Ukraine is defining what sort of country it will be when the fighting stops. Both matter, and both will pose a severe test for Ukraine and its backers.
Now is the time to buy some time
Iran cannot rival Ukraine and Taiwan for headlines, but it could soon prove as dangerous as either. Its nuclear-weapons programme has put its regime in a position to dash for a bomb. Because full-blown negotiations are impossible, the threat could yet draw the Middle East into war—including through American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. That is why it is good that the Biden administration is seeking to lower tensions.
The Globalist Podcast, Thursday, June 22, 2023: The UK and Ukraine host a joint reconstruction summit in London, Narendra Modi is accused of weaponising yoga and we check in with the Paris Air Show.
Plus: we head to Vienna for the latest episode in our Quality of Life series. Matt Wolf brings us news from the theatre world and Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco interviews South African musician, Bongeziwe Mabandla.
The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, June 21, 2023: Ukraine’s counteroffensive and the challenges facing NGOs, the latest from the Paris Air Show and illegal Chinese “police stations” in South Korea.
Plus: a spotlight on Copenhagen and the Grammy Awards’ new African category.
The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, June 20, 2023: France challenges the ‘Sky Shield initiative’, a new German-led air-defence plan.
Plus: violence breaks out in the West Bank, the rise of Hindu nationalism in Nepal and the latest music news.
‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (June 12, 2023) – Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, why India is indispensable to America, how to make Britain an AI superpower (10:35) and Lula’s unsustainable plans to save the Amazon (18:45).
India does not love the West, but it is indispensable to America
India’s prime minister has been afforded the honour of a state visit by President Joe Biden. Mr Modi will be one of the few foreign leaders, along with Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Volodymyr Zelensky, to address a joint session of Congress more than once.
Rishi Sunak’s enthusiasm is welcome. But his plans for Britain fall short
Britain, says Mr Sunak, will harness ai and thus spur productivity, economic growth and more. As he told an audience in London this week, he sees the “extraordinary potential of ai to improve people’s lives”.
The Brazilian president faces resistance from Congress, the state oil company and agribusiness
“There should be no contradiction between economic growth and environmental protection,” he said. Yet Lula’s green agenda is suffering setbacks.
India does not love the West, but it is indispensable to America
No country except China has propped up Russia’s war economy as much as oil-thirsty India. And few big democracies have slid further in the rankings of democratic freedom. But you would not guess it from the rapturous welcome Narendra Modi will receive in Washington next week. India’s prime minister has been afforded the honour of a state visit by President Joe Biden. The Americans hope to strike defence deals.
The Brazilian president faces resistance from Congress, the state oil company and agribusiness
Its real test will come when it hits Russia’s prepared defences
A deadly shipwreck in Greek waters highlights its dangers
The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, June 14, 2023: Donald Trump’s historic court appearance – where does it leave the former US president?
Plus: Israel joins Africa’s largest military exercise in Morocco, the business news and a special interview with Indian diplomat and politician, Shashi Tharoor.
Every year in India, many thousands are killed in marriage-payment disputes. Why does this war on women persist?
By Manvir Singh
In September 21, 2021, my mother sent a message to my extended family’s WhatsApp group: “Neeti had a heart attack and suddenly passed away—too tragic!” Neeti was a daughter of her sister, and someone I’d known all my life. But my cousin and I inhabited different worlds. I was born and raised in suburban New Jersey; she was a lifelong Delhiite. To me, Neeti and her identical twin, Preeti, exuded an urban glamour. At weddings, they sported chic, oversized sunglasses and matching, pastel-colored Punjabi-style outfits. Their faces looked a lot like my mom’s: long, with prominent cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes.
America’s broken immigration system has spawned a national fight, but Congress lacks the political will to fix it.
Earlier this year, in a helicopter above the Mexican border, a team of Texas state troopers searched for people crossing into the United States. As they flew over a neighborhood west of El Paso, the radio crackled with the voices of Border Patrol agents on the ground below, calling out migrants who were evading them.
Monocle on Saturday, June 3, 2023: Updates on the weekend’s culture news and current affairs with Emma Nelson.
British classical-music radio and television broadcaster Petroc Trelawny reviews the papers, French journalist Agnès Poirier discusses France’s debt and Monocle’s Monica Lillis speaks with author Beth Lewis about cults.
Boomers Daily 