The world in brief

On Thursday America’s Supreme Court will consider whether Donald Trump can be tried for attempting to overthrow the 2020 election. The issue in Trump v United States is novel: are ex-presidents immune from criminal prosecution for their actions in office?

A brief by historians calls Mr Trump’s efforts the “ultimate crime against the people”. No president is “above the law”, Jack Smith, the special counsel, argues. Mr Trump counters that presidents can be prosecuted only if they have been impeached and convicted by Congress. Otherwise future presidents “will be harassed by politically motivated prosecution” and deterred from exercising their authority. This worry “rings hollow”, Mr Smith says, as the constitution does not let a president commit “crimes to give himself a second term after an election he lost”.

Few expect the justices to side with Mr Trump. But if they dither in issuing a ruling, the impending election could scuttle Mr Smith’s case.

After a string of upside surprises, the American economy has fallen short of expectations at last. GDP for the first quarter of 2024 was released on Thursday; the economy grew at an annualised pace of 1.6%, missing forecasts of 2.2%. It was its weakest quarter in nearly two years. The two main culprits were declines in exports and in stock-building by companies. But lifting the hood, America’s momentum still appeared resilient.

The growth rate was twice as fast as analysts had anticipated at the beginning of the year, even if they had revised up their estimates more recently. The fall in exports reflected weakness abroad, not at home. Final sales to domestic purchasers—a measure of consumption trends—rose at an annual pace of 2.8%, a robust performance. Indeed, the biggest concern was that the data showed strong price increases in the first quarter, highlighting how inflation remains a stubborn foe.

Auto China 2024, also known as the Beijing motor show, opened on Thursday. China’s rise as a significant power in carmaking through the rapid development of affordable electric vehicles will be prominently on show. Some 700 exhibitors, including emerging Chinese carmakers like BYD and Xpeng, will display their latest models, alongside the world’s biggest established carmakers, such as Volkswagen and BMW.

Chinese firms are better at providing the country’s consumers with cheap and advanced EVs. It is a big market: most forecasters reckon that by 2030 some 80-90% of cars sold in China will be EVs. Western firms are struggling to catch up. Volkswagen’s market share, for instance, has slumped in China, from nearly 20% in 2020 to 14% in 2023.

Although China’s adoption of EVs has been more rapid, other places are headed in the same direction. If foreign firms do not change tack, Chinese EVs may conquer the rest of the world.

In 2017 Emmanuel Macron laid out his plan for a more “sovereign”, independent Europe in a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris. On Thursday France’s president returned to the university for the sequel, billed as “Sorbonne 2”. Ahead of elections to the European Parliament in June, Mr Macron delivered France’s wish-list for the renewed European Union institutions, and set out his strategic vision for the next five years.

The president praised some steps the EU has taken in recent years. The union has made changes once thought improbable, including the issuing of joint debt and the arming of Ukraine. In the speech, Mr Macron pushed Europe to think of itself as more of a “power”. Squeezed between Chinese assertiveness and American uncertainty, Europe is still struggling to make its voice count. Mr Macron may lay out what needs to change, but it will be more difficult for it to actually happen.

On Thursday “Zarqa Al Yamama”, an original opera—sung entirely in Arabic—about a blue-eyed woman who predicts a brutal attack on her tribe, will open in Saudi Arabia. Staging it was no easy feat: despite recent regeneration, the kingdom’s musical and creative resources are still limited after decades of restrictions. External collaborators, many with no knowledge of the language, had to be drafted in. The final product is an indicator of Saudi Arabia’s growing cultural clout.

Since the kingdom launched its Vision 2030 agenda in 2016, its arts scene has been transformed. The economic-reform plan, intended to wean the country off oil, has allocated billions to cultural preservation and development. Sultan Al-Bazie, chief executive of the country’s Theatre and Performing Arts Commission, hopes that the wider push for the arts will benefit young Saudis, too. The commission is preparing to open a theatre academy and is training teachers to bring theatre to schools around the country.

We will serve you a new question each day this week. On Friday your challenge is to give us all five answers and, as important, tell us the connecting theme. Email your responses (and include mention of your home city and country) by 1700 GMT on Friday to [email protected]. We’ll pick randomly from those with the right answers and crown three winners on Saturday.

Thursday: Which actress appeared in “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Great Gatsby” and was married to Frank Sinatra?

Wednesday: Which Spaniard won the Formula 1 World Championship in 2005 and 2006?