The Economist Continental Europe Edition April 17, 2021

Official daily infections hit a record 185,000 in India. Meanwhile, millions of people gathered for a Hindu festival, thousands of whom have tested positive for the virus. America, South Africa and Europe suspended the rollout of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab after six vaccinated women developed blood clots. The Centres for Disease Control urged Michigan’s governor to impose a lockdown to curb the spread of the disease in the state instead of relying on vaccines. Shops, hairdressers and gyms re-opened in England following a lockdown. Beer-lovers braved a cold spell to enjoy a pint at pubs with outdoor seating. The government has hit its target of offering a vaccine to high-risk groups and everyone over 50. Daily deaths from the disease have plummeted from more than 1,000 to a few dozen. → For…

Politics President Joe Biden set September 11th as the day by which American troops will pull out of Afghanistan after 20 years. Without their support, other NATO forces are also expected to withdraw. It is not clear how much help the US will now give the elected Afghan government to hold off the Taliban, a jihadist group that seized power in the 1990s and hopes to do so again. Russia massed more troops along its border with Ukraine. A similar build-up in 2014 preceded the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of the south-eastern part of the country. Mr Biden called for a summit with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, to discuss the situation. Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats were locked in a bitter row over whether Armin Laschet, the leader of the Christian…

Politics President Joe Biden set September 11th as the day by which American troops will pull out of Afghanistan after 20 years. Without their support, other NATO forces are also expected to withdraw. It is not clear how much help the US will now give the elected Afghan government to hold off the Taliban, a jihadist group that seized power in the 1990s and hopes to do so again. Russia massed more troops along its border with Ukraine. A similar build-up in 2014 preceded the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of the south-eastern part of the country. Mr Biden called for a summit with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, to discuss the situation. Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats were locked in a bitter row over whether Armin Laschet, the leader…

THE UNITED KINGDOM was not born in glory. The English conquest of Ireland in the 17th century was brutal, motivated by fear of invasion and facilitated by the superiority of Cromwell's army. The English takeover of Scotland in the 18th century was more pragmatic, born out of Scottish bankruptcy after an ill-fated American investment and English worries about France. But the resulting union was more than the sum of its parts: it gave birth to an intellectual and scientific revolution, centred on Edinburgh as well as London; an industrial revolution which grew out of that, enriching Glasgow as well as Manchester and Liverpool; an empire built as much by Scots as Englishmen; and a military power which helped save the world from fascism. That union is now weaker than at any…

Official daily infections hit a record 185,000 in India. Meanwhile, millions of people gathered for a Hindu festival, thousands of whom have tested positive for the virus. America, South Africa and Europe suspended the rollout of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab after six vaccinated women developed blood clots. The Centres for Disease Control urged Michigan’s governor to impose a lockdown to curb the spread of the disease in the state instead of relying on vaccines. Shops, hairdressers and gyms re-opened in England following a lockdown. Beer-lovers braved a cold spell to enjoy a pint at pubs with outdoor seating. The government has hit its target of offering a vaccine to high-risk groups and everyone over 50. Daily deaths from the disease have plummeted from more than 1,000 to a…

THE UNITED KINGDOM was not born in glory. The English conquest of Ireland in the 17th century was brutal, motivated by fear of invasion and facilitated by the superiority of Cromwell's army. The English takeover of Scotland in the 18th century was more pragmatic, born out of Scottish bankruptcy after an ill-fated American investment and English worries about France. But the resulting union was more than the sum of its parts: it gave birth to an intellectual and scientific revolution, centred on Edinburgh as well as London; an industrial revolution which grew out of that, enriching Glasgow as well as Manchester and Liverpool; an empire built as much by Scots as Englishmen; and a military power which helped save the world from fascism. That union is now weaker than at…