The Economist October 17th–23rd 2026 - Contents

Oct 19, 2026

Weekly issue contents covering leaders, science and AI, business, finance and economics, science & technology, culture, and international reporting. Includes feature previews such as whether AI will take over science, Musk’s charitable giving, and Britain’s lobbyists exploiting suicide, alongside regional briefs from Europe, the United States, the Middle East & Africa, Asia, China, and International affairs. Also lists letters and a By Invitation discussion on reducing AI risks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages84

Reading Time3 h 32 min

AccessFree to download

Leaders

Canada’s lessons

Science and AI

Trump backs Russia

Cuba

Millennials

Letters

On America’s city mayors

By Invitation

Lawrence Lessig and Yoshua Bengio on reducing AI risks

Brieﬁng

Reviving Canada

Britain

Preparing for crisis

Bagehot Exploiting suicide

Europe

Dieseling Ukraine down

Dodging Russia’s draft

United States

Protecting the midterms

Politics in Ohio

The Americas

Cuba’s entrepreneurs

Inside Venezuela’s prisons

Middle East & Africa

War comes to Saudi

Gen-Z voters in Kenya

Asia

El Niño hits Asia

China

The recycling giant

3D-printing muscle

International

Middle powers in a predatory world

Business

Musk’s miserly foundation

SpaceX’s mobile ambitions

Finance & economics

Millennials on top

Science & technology

Why build AI scientists?

Culture

Millennial nostalgia

Economic & financial indicators

Statistics on 42 economies

Obituary

Annie Dillard, nature writer

| Will AI take over science? | | --- | | Mysteries of the Musk Foundation | | How Britain’s lobbyists exploit suicide | | Our interview with the AfD’s Alice Weidel | | OCTOBER 17TH–23RD 2026 | NOT SORRY What Carney and Canada can teach the world C002 © L IECHTENSTEIN . The Pr incely Col lect ions, Vaduz–Vienna 􀀞􀀝􀀜􀀛􀀚􀀘􀀗􀀖􀀞􀀕􀀛􀀔􀀓􀀜 􀀖􀀒􀀑􀀖􀀐􀀞􀀜􀀑 􀀏􀀘􀀎􀀔􀀗􀀍 Entrusting your wealth to us means a genuine alignment of interests: We invest your assets using the strategies we have developed topreserve and grow the wealth of our owner, the Princely Family of [Liechtenstein.](Liechtenstein. www.lgt.com)[ www.lgt.com](Liechtenstein. www.lgt.com) The Economist October 17th 2026 3 Contents On the cover Mark Carney and his country have something to teach the middle powers: leader, page 9 . Can Donald Trump’s bullying goad Canada out of its complacency? Brieﬁng, page 17. Middle powers face a new threat, page 54 Will AI take over science? The machines are inside the laboratory: leader, page 10 . In aseven-page Science & technology section, we look at why the model-makers train their AIs for research, page 69 . Breakthroughsin biology, page 72. The fears of mathematicians, page 70. And scientiﬁc paperwork, page 74 Mysteries of the Musk Foundation Elon Musk’s charitable giving is opaque, miserly and self-serving, page 57. A new ﬁlm about the tycoon, page 79. Looking back at DOGE, page 80 How Britain’s lobbyists exploit suicide Public policy is increasingly dictated by tragedy: Bagehot, page 26 Our interview with the AfP’s Alice Weidel Why she insists that Germany must abandon Ukraine, page 30 → Download The Economist’sapp for articles, podcasts, videos and more, published throughout the week. | The world this week
5 A summary of political and business news | | --- | | Leaders
9 Canada’s lessons
Not sorry
10 Science and AI
EurekAI!
11 Trump backs Russia
Hardly his ﬁnest hour
11 Cuba
America makes waves
12 Millennials
The comeback cohort | | Letters
13 On America’s city mayors, Britain before Thatcher, sleep deprivation, Singapore, mistakes at AI labs | | By Invitation
16 Lawrence Lessig and Yoshua Bengio on how to reduce AI risks without losing the AI race | | Brieﬁng
17 Reviving Canada
Anew leaf

Schumpeter
The AI boom is threatened by an epidemic of unreliable numbers, page 62 | | | | Britain
21 Preparing for crisis
22 Clay-pigeon shooting
23 British-Israeli relations
23 Ceremony in the City
24 Wargaming a ﬁscal crisis
25 Are Europeans white?
26 Bagehot Exploiting suicide | | | --- | --- | | Europe
27 Dieseling Ukraine down
28 Dodging Russia’s draft
29 Iberian immigration
29 Art-theft boom
30 The AfD’s Alice Weidel
31 Charlemagne Bright lights, small cities | | | United States
32 Protecting the midterms
33 Politics in Ohio
34 Data-centre discontent
35 Sumo comes to America
35 A slippery diesel deal
36 The Jon Ossoff playbook
37 Lexington The Biden trap | | | The Americas
38 Cuba’s entrepreneurs
39 Inside Venezuela’s prisons
40 Gambling wars in Brazil | | | Middle East & Africa
41 War comes to Saudi
42 Kingmakers in Israel
43 Israel’s ex-pat voters
44 Africa’s green travails
45 Gen-Z voters in Kenya | | ⏩ Contents continues overleaf 4 The Economist ctober 17th 2026 Contents | Asia
46 El Niño hits Asia
47 India’s cockroach protests
48 Depopulation in Japan
48 Myanmar’s charm offensive
49 Ashoka Non-resident Indians | | | --- | --- | | China
50 The recycling giant
51 3D-printing muscle
52 Channelling more money
to development causes
53 Chaguan Taxation risks | | | International
54 Middle powers in a
predatory world | | Business 57 Musk’s miserly foundation 58 SpaceX’s mobile ambitions 59 The neolab era 60 Chip-stock jitters 61 Bartleby AI emails 62 Schumpeter Bad beancounting | Finance & economics
63 Millennials on top
64 Ch

FAQs

What are the main sections included in this issue’s contents?

The contents include Leaders, Letters, By Invitation, Brieﬁng, regional reporting (Britain, Europe, United States, the Americas, Middle East & Africa, Asia, China, International), plus Business, Finance & economics, Science & technology, Culture, Economic & financial indicators, and an Obituary section.

Which science and AI-related topics are previewed?

Previewed items include “Will AI take over science?”, “Why build AI scientists?”, “Maths and machines,” “Synthetic biology,” and “Can AI speed up science?” along with a discussion of why AI model-makers train systems for research.

What policy or political themes are highlighted?

The contents highlight topics such as Canada’s lessons and a question about whether Trump’s bullying can push Canada away from complacency, plus political coverage including Britain’s lobbyists exploiting suicide and an interview with Alice Weidel on Germany’s position regarding Ukraine.

Oct 19, 2026

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