a strange featureCulture puts food on the table, but London needs to set the table all over againLondon remains a global cultural capital, yet the system is showing signs of strain, revealing a structural crisis that has not been resolved following the pandemic lockdown. Arts Council, funding, training: key issues for the new governmentbyFrancesco Stocchi25 JUL 26
EditorialsWhere is the split within PiS in Poland leading?Either alliances are rewritten within the EU as well, or it will all come to nothing. This is in Italy’s interestbyRedazione25 JUL 26
EditorialsThe ‘cockroaches’’ victory over ModiA late-night message from the Indian Prime Minister defuses anger over rigged recruitment examsbyRedazione25 JUL 26
War and tradeChina has added two Italian companies to its blacklist in response to EU sanctions against RussiaBeijing has responded to the new package of European sanctions against Chinese companies involved in Russia’s war economy by blocking exports to fourteen EU firms. Among these, for the first time, are Lafert SpA and Garnet srl, two Italian companies that rely on Chinese rare earths. The impact could be very severebyGiulia Pompili25 JUL 26
by our correspondentAmidst sunflowers and landmines, what remains after the occupation of MoscowAlong a country road in Mykolaïv, which bears witness to the retreat of Russian soldiers and the difficulties faced by the local population in getting their lives back on trackbyMicol Flammini25 JUL 26
The influencer MagaConverted on the road to Kyiv, Laura Loomer is shifting a bit of Trumpian America towards UkraineThe influencer from the Maga world, with two million followers, travelled to Ukraine to see for herself a war that she admits she did not understandbyPaola Peduzzi25 JUL 26
The Pentagon deletesHow cynical and inhumane is Trump’s tally of soldiers killed in the Iranian attacks18 American soldiers were killed in the Iranian attacks since 28 February; the figure has since fallen to 14. The Trump Administration is providing little information on the targets and damage caused by the Iranian attacks, stating that this is classified information and that revealing the details could pose a security riskbyPaola Peduzzi25 JUL 26
the block is not very compactUkraine’s accession to the EU is an achievable goal, but unanimity is requiredA paper explains how to integrate Kyiv in accordance with the Merz formula and keep everyone happy, from "principled conditionalists" to "security maximalists", right through to Hungary, which "is a case in its own right"byDaniel Mosseri25 JUL 26
the interview“Trump must decide whether to go down in history as a loser.” Says Benny MorrisOn Iran: The risk is that the US president will go down in history as a new Carter. “We’re not talking about hostages here, but about something much bigger: the survival of the Iranian regime, the threat of a nuclear Iran and global economic chaos,” says the Israeli historianbyGiulio Meotti25 JUL 26
pending the expert reportThe investigation into Zapatero’s jewellery continuesThere are at least two alleged offences: tax evasion and smuggling. Further analysis could also establish the date of the donation, thereby clarifying the origin of the valuables and the possible breach of the code of ethics promoted by the former prime minister himselfbyMarcello Sacco25 JUL 26