It often seems as if the Trump administration has little interest in containing—or even understanding—Russia. On August 19th the administration purged one of the CIA’s most senior Russia analysts, along with others involved in a 2016 report that described how Russia had meddled in that year’s presidential election. A former CIA director calls it “great-power suicide”. Our correspondent has the inside scoop on the upheaval at America’s intelligence agencies. 

Elsewhere, we consider a hot new fashion trend in China: the facekini. Designer sun-protection face coverings are popularising a look previously favoured by bank robbers (or federal agents in America). The Communist Party, however, does not approve of the fad.