The World Bank Pivoted to Climate. That Now May Be a Problem.

As the Trump administration imposes deep cuts on foreign aid and renewable energy programs, the World Bank, one of the most important financiers of energy projects in developing countries, is facing doubts over whether its biggest shareholder, the United States, will stay on board. While the Trump administration has voiced neither support nor antipathy for … Read more

Their Album is Wordless. Will Their Protest Against A.I. Resound?

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than song. That’s the hope, at least, for more than 1,000 musicians who released a lyric-less album on Tuesday to protest the British government’s proposal to expand the ways that developers can use copyright-protected works to train artificial intelligence models. The album, which was created by artists including Annie Lennox, Billy … Read more

Keir Starmer Announces Defense Spending Increase

new video loaded: Keir Starmer Announces Defense Spending Increase transcript Back transcript Keir Starmer Announces Defense Spending Increase Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said the move would amount to an increase in expenditure of 13.4 billion pounds, or $17 billion, a year on defense between now and 2027. “Starting today, I can announce this … Read more

Short Novels Dominate International Booker Prize Nominees

The majority of the books nominated for this year’s International Booker Prize, the prestigious award for fiction translated into English, are under 200 pages long. Only one is over 300 pages: Mircea Cartarescu’s 627-page “Solenoid,” translated by Sean Cotter. It is also one of the most high-profile novels on the list. Many literary critics have … Read more