The Economist Continental Europe Edition August 15, 2020

The number of cases in the United States passed 5m. Brazil reached over 100,000 deaths in total. New Zealand investigated the possibility that its first infections for 102 days had come from freight. The people involved had not travelled. Auckland was locked down. Masks became compulsory outdoors in Paris and Brussels. Russia said that it had approved a vaccine against the coronavirus. Scientists elsewhere had doubts. The drug, named Sputnik V, appears simply to have skipped all but the first stages of testing for safety and efficacy. The estimated death toll in England was reduced by 5,377, or 12%. A review found that anyone who had died following a positive test was being included in the tally, regardless of how, or when, they died. For our latest coverage of the virus and its consequences please…

Politics Joe Biden named Kamala Harris, a senator from California, as his running-mate. The daughter of a Jamaican-American economist and an Indian-American cancer researcher, she is the first black woman or Asian-American on a major-party presidential ticket. Democrats largely praised her as a safe, charismatic choice, though some queried her respect for civil liberties, noting her record as a tough-on-crime prosecutor. The director of America’s counter-intelligence service warned that Russia was using a “range of measures” to undermine Mr Biden’s campaign, primarily because of his support for Ukraine. Chicago endured a night of looting, after police officers shot and injured a black man who they said was firing a gun at them. Bridges were raised to stop looters roaming. Seattle’s council voted to slash the police budget and refocus the city’s force on “public…

Politics Joe Biden named Kamala Harris, a senator from California, as his running-mate. The daughter of a Jamaican-American economist and an Indian-American cancer researcher, she is the first black woman or Asian-American on a major-party presidential ticket. Democrats largely praised her as a safe, charismatic choice, though some queried her respect for civil liberties, noting her record as a tough-on-crime prosecutor. The director of America’s counter-intelligence service warned that Russia was using a “range of measures” to undermine Mr Biden’s campaign, primarily because of his support for Ukraine. Chicago endured a night of looting, after police officers shot and injured a black man who they said was firing a gun at them. Bridges were raised to stop looters roaming. Seattle’s council voted to slash the police budget and refocus the…

The number of cases in the United States passed 5m. Brazil reached over 100,000 deaths in total. New Zealand investigated the possibility that its first infections for 102 days had come from freight. The people involved had not travelled. Auckland was locked down. Masks became compulsory outdoors in Paris and Brussels. Russia said that it had approved a vaccine against the coronavirus. Scientists elsewhere had doubts. The drug, named Sputnik V, appears simply to have skipped all but the first stages of testing for safety and efficacy. The estimated death toll in England was reduced by 5,377, or 12%. A review found that anyone who had died following a positive test was being included in the tally, regardless of how, or when, they died. For our latest coverage of the…

AMERICA’S CONFRONTATION with China is escalating dangerously. In the past week the White House has announced what may amount to an imminent ban on TikTok and WeChat (two Chinese apps), imposed sanctions on Hong Kong’s leaders and sent a cabinet member to Taiwan. This ratcheting up of pressure partly reflects electioneering: being tough on China is a key strut of President Donald Trump’s campaign. It is partly ideological, underscoring the urgency the administration’s hawks attach to pushing back on all fronts against an increasingly assertive China. But it also reflects an assumption that has underpinned the Trump administration’s attitude to China from the beginning of the trade war: that this approach will yield results, because China’s steroidal state capitalism is weaker than it looks. The logic is alluringly simple. Yes, China…

AMERICA’S CONFRONTATION with China is escalating dangerously. In the past week the White House has announced what may amount to an imminent ban on TikTok and WeChat (two Chinese apps), imposed sanctions on Hong Kong’s leaders and sent a cabinet member to Taiwan. This ratcheting up of pressure partly reflects electioneering: being tough on China is a key strut of President Donald Trump’s campaign. It is partly ideological, underscoring the urgency the administration’s hawks attach to pushing back on all fronts against an increasingly assertive China. But it also reflects an assumption that has underpinned the Trump administration’s attitude to China from the beginning of the trade war: that this approach will yield results, because China’s steroidal state capitalism is weaker than it looks. The logic is alluringly simple. Yes,…