Chinese president Xi Jinping told Donald Trump last week that he hoped the US and China could avoid the “Thucydides trap”. He was referring to an ancient Greek theory of war that has become a staple of geopolitical commentary in recent years. But what do classical battles have to do with current US-China relations?

What does the trap refer to?
It’s the theory, re-popularised in the 2010s by US political scientist Graham Allison, that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, the result is often war. It is named after Athenian general and historian Thucydides, whose account of the build-up to the fifth-century BC Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens included the observation that “the growth of power of Athens, and the fear that this instilled in Sparta, made war inevitable”.

The implication is that, if an established superpower “manages the rising power badly”, it can feel “obliged to go to war when that’s not necessarily the only option”, said David M. Pritchard, a University of Queensland associate professor of Greek history, on The Conversation.

How does it apply today?
In 2026, the established superpower is the US, and the rising power is China. There is tension between the two over trade and tariffs, and over China’s claims to sovereignty over Taiwan. According to the Thucydides trap, if Washington insists on a policy of confrontation with Beijing, war will be the likely outcome.

Xi’s remarks were “an entirely unsubtle warning, and even a threat”, said Aaron MacLean on The Free Press; he was making it clear that, to avoid conflict, the US must “radically change” its “attitudes and actions”, and “accommodate” itself “to a Chinese-led world order”.

This is the lesson to be learned from the Peloponnesian War, said Pritchard on The Conversation. Sparta “had good reason to fear the rising Athenians”, but curbing their rise came “at a terrible cost”: decades of war wiped out much of its fighting population and forced it to depend on unreliable allies, triggering its eventual decline. If it had found a way to accommodate Athens, Sparta could have continued as a superpower “well into the fourth century”.

Birdwatching is the fastest-growing outdoor hobby among young people, according to a study commissioned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There has been a 47% increase in birdwatching across all ages since 2018, but a 1,088% surge among those aged 18 to 24 – suggesting around 750,000 Gen Zers are budding ornithologists.

‘Competitive side’
Gone are the days of birdwatching being classed as “niche or old-fashioned”, Molly Brown, an RSPB wildlife adviser, told The Guardian. It is attracting a “diverse” crowd because it is easy and cheap, and it doesn’t matter “how much or little” you know to begin with.

Like a lot of other trends, social media has played a part. Birding apps such as Merlin Bird ID, and many online groups, are helping younger enthusiasts “connect with fellow birders and share tips and sightings”, Kabir Kaul, a 20-year-old wildlife campaigner, told The Times. Twitching is not without its “competitive side”, and young birdwatchers are getting into friendly battles to see “who can spot the most species”.

Another benefit Gen Z fans are aware of is that regular birdwatching can help protect against cognitive decline in later life. A Canadian study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, found that “brain regions linked to attention and perception” appeared denser in scans of “experienced” birdwatchers.

‘Grandma hobbies’
Birdwatching isn’t the only real-world pastime surging among Gen Z. Younger people are creating an analogue hobby movement, said Fortune, although, ironically, usually with the help of social media. Newly cool “grandma hobbies” include “pottery, origami and even blacksmithing”. 

Having a hobby is “really important” and we “don’t prioritise them enough”, said Jaime Kurtz, a professor of psychology at James Madison University in Virginia. They can help “reduce anxiety and stress”, build focus and offer a “sense of accomplishment”. That is certainly the case for 22-year-old twitcher Isaiah Scott, who told Fortune that he has racked up sightings of around 800 species so far. “It feels like a video game, but in real life.”

A sculpture of Brazilian football legend Pelé is lowered into place outside Jalisco Stadium in the Mexican city of Guadalajara ahead of this summer’s World Cup. The bronze statue, by artist Alejandro Velasco Mancera, is 6.5 metres tall and weighs three tons.

Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty Images

The briefest spell of sunshine sends us rushing to the park or pub. But if you’re looking for somewhere a bit more special to soak up the predicted Bank Holiday rays, try a buzzy terrace with a view. From trendy, canal-side spots to swanky rooftop bars, here are some of the best.

The Gun, Docklands, London
Open all year round thanks to the retractable roof and glass walls, the views from the riverside terrace at The Gun are “superb”, said The Standard. Sip a glass of rosé and “feast on oysters” or, come summer, enjoy a pizza from a van in the riverside garden.

Lock 91, Manchester
This “charming canal-side garden” is one of the city’s “best-kept secrets”, said Secret Manchester. The fashionable bar is set within a carefully restored 19th-century lock-keeper’s cottage, and you can usually “snag a spot” on the “intimate” outdoor terrace.

The Raeburn, Edinburgh
The “secret rooftop terrace” of this “smart boutique hotel” becomes a “real suntrap” over summer, said Condé Nast Traveller. There’s also a first-floor mezzanine looking out over an “out-of-the-city type view that you won’t find anywhere else”.

Rockwater, Hove
“A beach bar with a rooftop terrace, what more could you possibly ask for?” said The Telegraph. Rockwater offers a “huge wine collection, along with cocktails and spritzes”, and a great selection of “luxurious seafood dishes” and handmade pizzas.

Blackstock Roof Garden, Liverpool
Set atop the newly revamped Blackstock Market, this “Mediterranean-inspired rooftop brings a slice of coastal Europe to Liverpool”, said Condé Nast Traveller. In the evening, the terrace is “the perfect place to dance under the stars”.

The result of normalising Reform’s ideas? Neighbour is turned against neighbour
Nesrine Malik in The Guardian
The “anti-migrant right has been given too much space” to turn “so-called legitimate concerns around immigration” into “covers for prejudice”, writes Nesrine Malik. And Reform’s local election success means “things will not get better”, as its councillors spread “further fear, suspicion and division”. How will ethnic minorities in Reform-led areas fare under a party that views them as “a threat to the social fabric of the very communities they live in”?

I’ll decide, Olive, when it’s time to go to bed
Kathleen Stock in The Times
US entrepreneur Bill Nguyen says “his life has been taken over by an experimental AI agent called Olive”, writes Kathleen Stock. Like an “overbearing mother”, Olive is “buying him things, booking holidays, offering parenting advice and even telling him when to go to bed”. But there’s “life satisfaction” in “activities you dread beforehand, detest throughout, yet still face and overcome”. Tech bosses want us “lost in dazed, frictionless oblivion” when we actually need “grit, proactivity, self-discipline and focus”.

The underappreciated glories of a ‘staycation’
Ysenda Maxtone Graham in The Telegraph
“Staycation” bookings “are sharply on the rise this year”, writes Ysenda Maxtone Graham. How wonderful. Remember how, during the “pandemic summers”, we loved “discovering the beauties on our own doorstep”? Britain has “incredible” food, architecture and “changing landscapes”, from “raw coasts” to “rolling hills”. Staycationers can visit friends and relatives and speak their “native language” with “locals in pubs”, and if it rains, “you don’t feel so personally affronted”. Best of all, “when you’ve had enough, you can drive home”.