As the world becomes ever more frenetic and technological, there is a nostalgic appeal to traditions which are embedded in nature. Read why “The Wicker Man” seems so resonant today econ.st/3xzHMPt 👇

Romantasy, the literary love-child of fantasy and romance, can be a mildly alarming read. It turns out feminism is not a forte in fairyland. Yet the genre is taking off—to the delight of its publishers econ.st/4aPt71c 👇

Scientists have experimented with enzymes to remove A and B antigens to make O-type blood for decades.

But this blood can still be incompatible with patients. A new technique may help econ.st/3xPmSvF 👇

Austerity has slashed the value of grants from central to local government. Yet the cost of the few services that councils are still obliged to provide has risen econ.st/3UioO7z 👇

People are dying alone—and sometimes it takes weeks for anyone to notice econ.st/4bcg1Ld 👇

You've found out something juicy about a colleague and you’re bursting to spill the tea. Should you? Try our guide to gossip in the workplace econ.st/3QkF2Mb 👇

India’s share of the world’s cumulative emissions from fossil fuels and industry is just 3%. But the country has an interest in future emissions being as low as possible.

That means cleaning up at home econ.st/4bf7VBM 👇

Humza Yousaf announced his resignation as Scotland’s first minister after a mere 13 months (or 8.1 Liz Trusses) in office. His departure is important for Britain’s general election. But it also holds three wider lessons econ.st/4dgxzrv

San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded by Italy, has provided Russia—and also China—with a little-known backdoor into western Europe. It raises questions about the EU’s plans for closer ties with the enclave econ.st/3Qg9cjK 👇

The growing gulf between young men and women in developed countries is striking. Unpicking what is going on is not simple. But read why this trend is concerning, and what can be done about it econ.st/3UgJGgS 👇

The frenetic activity of ADQ reflects the UAE’s belief that it has an opportunity to exert influence abroad. Its investments often go hand-in-hand with trade deals econ.st/3UxmZF4 👇

The Philippines is often an afterthought for investors: neither a giant like India nor a manufacturing superstar like Vietnam. But its economy has quietly been booming. What’s spurring this growth—and what could threaten it? econ.st/44lVVvV

Photo: Getty Images

Southern cities like Bangalore are as rich as southern Europe. Parts of northern India are like sub-Saharan Africa. This variation in performance across regions is one of three economic challenges for the government econ.st/44gibaq 👇

Indian finance, and thus the country itself, is becoming more credible econ.st/3w8iSWI 👇

To attract more local and foreign investment and to find a growth-minded successor, Narendra Modi’s BJP will need to curb its chauvinistic politics.

If not, the Indian prime minister’s mission of national renewal will not live up to its promise econ.st/3JyvhGn 👇

Nominations to an obscure, independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of energy in America appear uncontroversial so far, but the country’s toxic politics have made even energy nerds superstitious econ.st/4dgFXHp 👇

The president and vice-president of the Philippines come from rich, powerful families that have co-operated in the past. But now they are openly feuding—to the point of threatening secession. This matters for three reasons: econ.st/3Qn5RiV

Illustration: Lan Truong

The Japanese yen is on a wild ride. The last time officials acted to prop up the currency, in 2022, they burned through over $60bn in foreign-exchange reserves. Currently there is little relief in sight: econ.st/3QpJoBI

Photo: Reuters

The Cyrus cylinder, which is currently owned by the British Museum, is one of Iran’s most treasured antiquities. That fact that it is due to be loaned out to Jerusalem later this year has out­raged Iran’s rulers econ.st/4a2tIM0 👇

The biggest costs of the tech wars between America and China could be the division of the world’s information and energy-technology industries, leading to sagging economic growth and slower decarbonisation econ.st/3W8Rkv0 👇