Crypto once dreamed of being above politics. But now the industry has developed a grubby relationship with the American government—and become synonymous with self-dealing

The ruling party, Morena, argues that the election of judges will make the judiciary more democratic, purge corruption and nepotism, and widen access to justice. But there are good reasons why few democracies ask voters to select judges

Crypto has not just facilitated fraud, money-laundering and other flavours of financial crime on a gargantuan scale. The industry has also developed a grubby relationship with the executive branch of America’s government

People had often wondered what would happen to young people if they were somehow suddenly stripped of society. Álvaro and those on Flight 571 answered with a new “society of the snow”. Our obituary

Nicusor Dan, a Paris-trained mathematician and mayor of Bucharest, pulled off a surprise win in the second round against George Simion, a MAGA-backed rabble-rouser who built his party on resentment of the political establishment

Indian TV news long ago relinquished membership of the reality-based community. Night after night presenters praise the government, heap scorn upon the opposition, and disparage minorities and foreigners

Over the last 25 years the annual number of Brits seeking treatment in hospitals for violence-related injuries has fallen from 450,000 to 150,000. Thank better policing and changing social norms

How are human brains coping with an era of ubiquitous screens? @Cytowic joins @alokjha on “Babbage” to talk about the impact of digital technology on attention spans and learning

Crypto has become the ultimate swamp asset

The result is a worrying sign for the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk

Bangladesh’s consensus commission is working to establish a “July Charter” that will allow elections to take place as early as December this year. But delays are already testing the country’s fragile political situation

Despite concerns, Indonesia’s finance minister is sticking with a 2.5% deficit target, urging investors to ignore short-term fluctuations in the country’s economy. Its new sovereign wealth fund has only added to the confusion

Our annual ranking compares military spending around the world using three benchmarks. It shows that America’s lead is not as large as the raw numbers suggest

With its promise of “everyday low prices”, Walmart has long been the retailer of choice for low- and middle-income Americans. Now it is trying to woo wealthier consumers

Childhood exposure to a common gut bacterium could be responsible

Friedrich Merz’s promise to crackdown on illegal migration is making Poland anxious. The concern is not hard to fathom

Leo XIV will pose some tricky problems for Giorgia Meloni. The newly enthroned pope has criticised the MAGA bigwigs whom the Italian leader supports Illustration: Ellie Foreman-Peck

Massachusetts has in many ways led the resistance against Donald Trump’s funding cuts and woo-woo approach to science

How much would you have to pay college students to have their iPhone messages appear to others in a (lame) green rather than a (fashionable) blue bubble? The results of a recent study demonstrate Apple’s market dominance

What is their love of working from home doing to their economies?

It will be the first country in the world where every judge on every court is chosen by popular vote