Articles in this issue: Politics Business KAL’s cartoon This week’s cover The world according to Xi Central banks face an excruciating trade-off The trouble with Emmanuel Macron’s pension victory How the EU should respond to American subsidies The machinery, structure and output of the British state need reform As video games grow, they are eating the media Letters to the editor Kori Schake on how America has moved beyond the debacle of the Iraq war Russia’s reliance on China will outlast Vladimir Putin, says Alexander Gabuev Iran wants a detente with its neighbours but not with America Fear of China is pushing India and Japan into each other’s arms North Koreans are at growing risk of starvation Millions of dead fish are washing up in Australia Russian arms have fewer takers in South-East Asia China wants the world to forget about its crimes in Xinjiang China may face more embarrassment over its human-rights record China has not done enough to halt the wildlife trade Chinese nationalists are up in arms over the treatment of pandas The revealing appeal of China’s cheapest city The cases against Donald Trump are piling up Spring break is an economic nightmare for the hottest host cities A fight in Arizona over sacred land and a mine raises big issues White South African farmers are thriving in Mississippi Anti-Semitism in America is becoming flashier, louder and rarer Younger Americans are friendlier to China How the Iraq war became a threat to American democracy Shia Muslims are no longer in the ascendant After 20 years of trauma, Iraq is struggling to recover A dictator and his entitled son are holding Uganda captive New drugs may protect girls having sex with older men from HIV The Americas face a historic opportunity. Will the region grasp it? Emmanuel Macron’s government survives, but more trouble lies ahead Ukraine is betting on drones to strike deep into Russia Finland has Turkey’s approval and can at last join NATO The Kaiser’s family accepts it will not get all its stuff back The cucumber Saudis: how the Dutch got too good at farming The machine that runs Britain’s state needs an overhaul “Honest” Boris Johnson looks done for The race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon has plunged the SNP into turmoil Louise Casey says the Met is institutionally misogynistic The British government attempts to take on the NHS’s workforce problems Editing Roald Dahl for sensitivity was silly What does Xi Jinping want from Vladimir Putin? Ready, player four billion: the rise of video games Battles over streaming break out for video games Moviemaking and gamemaking are converging The rise and rise of e-sports Complexities of moderating and classifying video games Video games, power and diplomacy The rise of user-created video games How digital gaming spreads far and wide How TikTok broke social media India loosens restrictions on foreign lawyers Can Adidas ever catch up with Nike? Every setback is an opportunity for Ryanair The real next big thing in business automation How to get flexible working right What Barbie tells you about near-shoring Policymakers face two nightmares: stubborn inflation and market chaos How much longer will America’s regional banks hold up? Switzerland’s new megabank is bad news for Swiss bankers Why markets can never be made truly safe The battle for Europe’s economic soul America’s banks are missing hundreds of billions of dollars Fusion power is coming back into fashion A museum on a Kenyan island glosses over slavery “Ringmaster” is a colourful biography of a wrestling impresario When in Mexico City, try pulque, a local tipple The narrator of “Chlorine” longs to escape her human body “Beyond the Wall” adds depth to caricatures of East Germany A bold “Guys & Dolls” holds lessons for the future of theatre Economic data, commodities and markets Online daters are less open-minded than their filters suggest How Belarus’s role in the invasion of Ukraine could grow How remittances affect a country’s development Jacqueline Gold freed women to shamelessly enjoy themselves Global news and current affairs from a European perspective. Best downloaded on Friday mornings (GMT)