After decades of conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, last week Donald Trump brokered a truce in the Oval Office. Our correspondent analyses the prospects for a lasting reconciliation. Why Mark Zuckerberg spent $14bn on an AI hiring spree at Meta. And is the manosphere dangerous or a moral panic?

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Yesterday’s arrest of a notorious gang leader is a win for Daniel Noboa. He assures our journalists he can beat back rampant transnational gangs without trampling democracy. The torrent of big geopolitical news has, perhaps surprisingly, not much moved the markets; we ask why. And the next instalment of our “Archive 1945” project revisits the founding of the United Nations.

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We examine the path of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once a bookish cleric underrated by everyone—including himself. He has hung on to power perhaps in part by not making decisions at crucial points. Our finance correspondent looks at the shifting wisdom on how best to manage an inheritance. And why India’s addresses are so long, complex and ultimately costly.

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Western brands used to define cool and luxurious in China. No longer. Now consumers are turning to homegrown brands, some of which are becoming global tastemakers. Across Africa the Christian conservative movement is gaining ground fast—with a little help from American brethren. And why Britain is such a locus for the nuts and bolts of Formula 1.

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Iran’s strikes both before and apparently after a ceasefire began seem to threaten peace. If it holds, what will that mean for Iran’s ambitions, and for the wider region? A meeting of NATO-country leaders seems precision-engineered to appease the alliance’s most fickle member. And why Germany is considering cancelling one of its many public holidays.

Additional audio courtesy of Chatham House's “Independent Thinking” podcast.

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After America’s strikes intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, one question is whether they succeeded. Another is how Iran will respond; all of its options are bad ones. In the West people have been shedding religion for decades, but that secularist shift now seems to be slowing. And what is driving the decline of inverted commas (aka “quotation marks”).

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Runtime: 22 min

The most consequential decision of Donald Trump’s presidency is now on pause for two weeks. We examine how the choice pits two sides of Mr Trump against one another. India is an advanced-manufacturing powerhouse, but can it become a hub for high-tech innovation, too? And as “Jaws” turns 50 our correspondent says its hero is probably not who you remember.

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The workplace wisdom that a university degree is a sure-fire key to success is very much in question—and the trend started long before AI began eating jobs. Russia has launched yet another summer offensive in Ukraine, and appears to be going for broke. And our journalists share their picks for the year’s best books so far.

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