Flagship

Harris caps remarkable rise

US Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination — a historic moment cementing her as the first Black woman to lead a major party’s White House ticket, and capping a remarkable month in American politics. Harris acknowledged her “unlikely” journey and framed November’s election between her and Donald Trump not as a choice between left and right but between freedom and autocracy, vowing to “strengthen, not abdicate” the US’ global leadership. Since replacing President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket, Harris has seen surging support that now places her either neck-and-neck or in some projections ahead in the race for the presidency, an astonishing shift from early July, when the election appeared to be Trump’s to lose.

Modi in Kyiv for talks

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks in Kyiv, a trip Ukraine’s allies hope signals New Delhi shifting its non-aligned stance over Russia’s invasion. Modi’s visit is the first by an Indian leader since the two countries established official diplomatic relations in 1992, and signals a recognition that he cannot “remain a passive bystander” over the conflict, the foreign policy scholar C. Raja Mohan wrote in The Indian Express. The trip comes after Modi visited Moscow last month, irritating Kyiv by publicly hugging Russian President Vladimir Putin, and in a week in which the premier of China — Moscow’s most important ally — himself toured Russia and Belarus, pointing to the two Asian countries’ growing geopolitical heft beyond their backyards.

Global rate paths differ

Speeches by major central bank chiefs today are set to highlight a growing divergence in rich-world monetary policy. A much-anticipated address by the chair of the US Federal Reserve and upcoming remarks by the head of the Bank of England at a central-banker confab are expected to confirm the US and UK will cut rates this year, while a European Central Bank policymaker earlier suggested it would do the same. The Bank of Japan’s chief, meanwhile, told lawmakers that it would likely continue tightening monetary policy, eroding an interest-rate differential with its transatlantic counterparts that had underpinned a years-long trade in which investors bet against the yen.

China evades US chip curbs

Chinese firms are stockpiling chip making equipment and building out semiconductor supply chains to guard against further US curbs. The country imported a record $26 billion worth of such machinery, while ASML — a Dutch firm that makes the world’s most advanced chip lithography devices — reported surging sales to China. A Washington-based semiconductor trade association, meanwhile, warned that Chinese tech giant Huawei was building a secret set of chip making facilities to evade US sanctions, according to Bloomberg. Semiconductors have emerged as a key issue in the US-China rivalry, with Washington enlisting allies to restrict Beijing’s access to the most advanced chip technology: A think tank said this week China lags the sector’s global leaders by about five years.

Apple moves to meet antitrust rules

Apple will let iPhone users in the European Union delete Safari and other native apps in a bid to assuage the bloc’s antitrust regulators. The move is part of a wider crackdown on Big Tech on both sides of the Atlantic, and comes after a US judge this month found that Google held an illegal monopoly on online search. Consolidation in the tech industry — which is largely dominated by seven companies — may be leading to economic stagnation as once-innovative firms become content with rent-seeking from existing customers, the Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge argued: “It is unclear why the age of entrepreneurship came to a close… but there is little doubt that it is happening.”

How AI is being used

People are using generative artificial intelligence models for help with homework, writing advice, factual queries, and dirty talk. Millions of people use AIs daily, but “until now, we’ve had little insight into how AI chatbots are actually being used,” The Washington Post reported. A study of 200,000 people’s prompts to a ChatGPT-like AI called WildChat found that 16% of queries came from students needing help and 7% from those trying to get around the bots’ limitations on sexual content. Others used the bot for personal advice, to help plan their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, or just to check ideas: “As a cheap source of second opinions, it’s incredible,” one academic said.

Grenada defers debt after hurricane

Grenada became the world’s first country to use a natural-disaster clause to suspend debt repayments, weeks after it was devastated by a hurricane. Hurricane Beryl caused damage equivalent to around a third of Grenada’s annual GDP, and officials this week told bondholders that the country would defer upcoming payments on one of its only international bonds. Grenada was the first country to include such a deferment clause in its debt sales, though Barbados has since done the same and others are expected to follow suit: Experts warn that climate change is likely to lead to more frequent and intense storms, ultimately wreaking havoc on poorer nations that are ill-equipped to bear the full financial burden of mitigation or adaptation.

Can Kamala Keep It Up? Ben and Nayeema tape from the Democratic National Convention, breaking down the positive vibes, the rise of the credentialed TikTok creator, and what Trump is up to on the outside of this bubble. Tommy Vietor joins them to discuss what sway he and his fellow Pod Save America hosts have with Obama, why the DNC is tuning out Gaza protesters, and whether the party’s newfound unity around Kamala Harris can last through Nov. 5. Finally, fresh off a GQ photoshoot, Max joins the podcast to talk style and the viability of a Chick-fil-A streaming service.

Nigerians call out presidential plane

Nigerians hit out at the government’s purchase of a new presidential plane, arguing it is a symbol of excess amid the country’s worst economic crisis in a generation. Although authorities have defended the purchase of the Airbus A330 as a worthwhile investment, Nigerians say the money should have been used to alleviate the pain of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms — including cutting fuel subsidies — which have sent inflation soaring above 30%, the BBC reported. At a time of “penury” and “hunger,” the purchase shows how “insensitive to the plight of the average Nigerian” Tinubu is, a Nigerian X user wrote.

Brazil mulls kite-fighting ban

Brazilian lawmakers advanced a bill to ban kite fighting, a dangerous yet popular sport. The game — in which kite flyers try to slash their opponents’ glass-covered strings using their own — is defended by some as part of Brazil’s cultural heritage, notably within favelas. However kite fighting has caused hundreds of serious injuries and even deaths, as the razor-sharp lines are often strewn across roads where unsuspecting motorcyclists cross them at speed. Defenders of the proposal fear exceptions or carve-outs could lead to more lives and limbs lost. “Between life and sports, I’m in favor of life,” a lawmaker who sponsored the bill told The Associated Press.

Luxury market for pets expands

Dolce & Gabbana unveiled a new perfume for dogs. The luxury retailer’s announcement — Fefé costs €99, has “notes of ylang ylang,” and “features a 24-carat gold-plated paw on the bottle” — is part of efforts by companies to court well-heeled consumers’ desire to spend more on their pets, ranging from up-market clothes by Prada to a $28.50 dog wash from Artemis. Though Fefé has been certified as safe by an independent body in Italy, veterinarians and animal-rights activists have not been impressed, arguing that a scented perfume can impede a dog’s smell-based communication: “This is entirely for the owner’s benefit,” one UK-based expert told The New York Times, “not for the dogs.”

• Spain’s prime minister meets with the leader of the Canary Islands to discuss regional migration issues.
• S&P is due to review Kenya’s debt rating. Fellow ratings agencies Moody’s and Fitch have already downgraded the country’s bonds.
• The Anime NYC convention opens.

The total number of points Caitlin Clark has created via points and assists since debuting in the WNBA, in what some experts believe is the greatest rookie season in league history. Clark’s success has hugely lifted interest in the top US women’s basketball league to record highs: The average viewership of the first five WNBA games on ESPN reached 1.4 million this year, up more than threefold from 2023. “It’s amazing what Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career so far, it’s just been nothing short of remarkable,” Diana Taurasi, one of the game’s all-time greats, told The Athletic.

Translation State by Ann Leckie. The novel was shortlisted for two prestigious science fiction and fantasy awards — the Nebulas and the Hugos — and features “subtly drawn political intrigue” in a “richly developed universe,” the author Sylvia Bishop told Five Books. Buy it from your local bookshop.

• Harris’ ‘Goldilocks’ economic agenda.
• Single-issue climate policies less effective than mixed approach, landmark report finds.
• Russian mercenaries in Africa are increasingly active.