The Intelligence from The Economist

No-sanctuary cities: the Taliban’s latest surge

<p>Sweeping <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/07/26/the-taliban-grab-more-of-afghanistan-as-america-slips-out?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rural gains</a> made as American forces have slipped out are now giving way to bids for urban areas; an enormous, symbolic victory for the insurgents looms. Singapore has enjoyed relative racial harmony for decades, but shocking <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/07/29/racial-prejudice-rears-its-head-in-singapore?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent events</a> have revealed persistent inequalities. And why chewing gum has <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/07/26/bursting-the-bubble-how-gum-lost-its-cool?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lost its cool</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Neither borrower nor renter be: America’s coming foreclosures

<p>America’s pandemic-driven measures granting relief on mortgages and rent arrears will soon expire, and millions of people <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/24/as-moratoriums-lift-will-america-face-a-wave-of-foreclosures-and-evictions?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are in danger</a> of losing their homes. The Netherlands’ history of slavery is often overlooked; a new exhibition goes to <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/06/03/a-new-exhibition-illuminates-the-history-of-dutch-slavery?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">great lengths</a> to confront it. And how Marmite’s love-it-or-hate-it reputation represents an <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/06/17/marketing-marmite-how-an-advertising-agency-started-a-culture-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely marketing coup</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Good news, ad news: Facebook’s big bucks and bets

<p>The social-media behemoth revealed huge profits and stressed <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/27/facebook-eyes-a-future-beyond-social-media?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">even bigger plans</a>: to become an e-commerce giant and a hub for digital creators, and to pioneer something called the “metaverse”. After a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/08/the-clash-in-peru-over-the-election-result-continues?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bruising election</a>, Peru has an inexperienced new president; matching policy to his hard-left platform will be a dangerous game. And the publisher trying to bring <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/08/mills-and-boon-wants-to-diversify-its-hero-base?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ethnic diversity</a> to romance novels.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Borderline disorder: the UN’s refugee treaty at 70

<p>An international convention devised after the second world war is ill-suited to the refugee crises of today—and countries are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/27/who-counts-as-a-refugee?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increasingly unwilling</a> to meet their obligations. Vancouver’s proposed response to a spate of drug overdoses is a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/24/vancouver-wants-to-decriminalise-possession-of-many-hard-drugs?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sweeping decriminalisation</a>; we ask whether the plan would work. And the bid to save a vanishingly rare “<a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/22/the-struggle-to-save-a-south-african-language-with-45-click-sounds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">click language</a>” in Africa.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Alight in Tunisia: a democracy in crisis

<p>The president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament. It is clear that the country needed a shake-up in its hidebound politics—but is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/26/tunisias-democracy-totters-as-the-president-suspends-parliament?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this</a> the right way? A sprawling <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/10/a-cardinal-goes-on-trial?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trial</a> starting today involving the most senior Catholic-church official ever indicted is sure to cast light on the Vatican’s murky finances. And how climate change is already <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/15/climate-change-is-affecting-wine-flavours?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing</a> winemaking.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The blonde leading: Britain’s two years under Boris Johnson

<p>As the country tests a <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/20/britain-tests-the-limits-of-mass-vaccination?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bold reopening strategy</a> in the face of the Delta variant, our political editor charitably characterises the prime minister’s tenure as <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/24/boris-johnson-marks-his-second-anniversary-in-number-10?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a mixed bag</a>. Hong Kong’s national-security law has now <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/07/21/academics-in-hong-kong-suffer-curbs-on-their-freedoms?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">come for its universities</a>, sending shudders through the territory’s last bastion of pro-democracy fervour. And why the alcohol-free beer industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/07/alcohol-free-beer-is-fizzing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fizzing</a>. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A dangerous games? A muted start to the Olympics

<p>Tokyo is under a state of emergency; covid-19 cases are piling up. But for Japan, a super-spreader event is just one of the potential <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/22/why-do-so-few-cities-want-to-host-the-olympics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs</a> of this year’s games. We ask why Britain’s government has essentially given <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/15/an-amnesty-for-northern-irish-killers-is-supposed-to-draw-a-line-under-the-troubles?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">amnesty</a> to those involved in Northern Ireland’s decades of deadly violence. And our obituaries editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/07/15/esther-bejarano-died-on-july-10th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reflects</a> on the life of an Auschwitz accordionist.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Three-degree burn: the warmer world that awaits

<p>It seems ever more certain that global temperatures will <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/30/what-would-different-levels-of-global-warming-look-like?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sail past</a> limits set in the Paris Agreement. We examine what a world warmed by 3°C would—or will—look like. Our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/15/a-general-a-warlord-and-an-economist-vie-to-run-sudan?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speaks</a> with Sudan’s three most powerful men; will they act in concert or in conflict on the way to democracy? And why Liverpool has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/17/liverpools-changing-skyline-defies-unesco?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">booted</a> from UNESCO’s world-heritage list.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Changing horses mid-streaming? Netflix’s next act

<p>On the face of it, the streaming giant’s quarterly results were lacklustre. But our media editor explains why its international growth looks promising, and how it is spreading its bets. A largely uncontested purge of LGBT accounts from China’s social-media platform WeChat reveals much about a growing Chinese-nationalist narrative online. And why researchers are cataloguing the microbes of big cities.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Joint pain: a rare rebuke of China’s hackers

<p>The European Union, NATO and the “Five Eyes” intelligence partners have all joined America in <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/20/america-and-its-allies-admonish-but-do-not-sanction-china-for-hacking?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accusing</a> China’s government of involvement in hacking campaigns. Now what? Away from the spectacle of billionaires’ race to the heavens, many African countries are <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/17/africa-is-blasting-its-way-into-the-space-race?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">establishing</a> space programmes—with serious innovation and investment opportunities on the ground. And why Australia is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/22/why-is-australia-suffering-from-a-plague-of-mice?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suffering</a> from a plague of mice.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

In a flash: floods devastate Europe

<p>Disaster-recovery efforts continue, even as heavy rains continue in many places. The tragedy brings climate change <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/16/devastating-floods-in-germany-warn-europe-of-the-dangers-of-warming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to the fore</a>, with political implications particularly in Germany. Syria’s oppressive regime is short of cash, so it has apparently turned to <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/f4986d19a4b6457d7f67615518da9fa0?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trafficking</a> in an increasingly popular party drug. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/26/why-new-england-is-going-wild-for-wet-weeds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kelp farms</a> are bobbing up along America’s New England coast.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A pounder of a quarter: American banks report

<p>Bank bosses are jubilant: revenues were down but profits <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/07/15/banks-on-wall-street-report-bumper-second-quarter-profits?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">way up</a>. We look at the pandemic-driven reasons behind the windfall, and ask how long their influence may last. A thicket of conflicting laws is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/06/24/bob-marleys-heirs-boost-jamaicas-ganja-industry?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complicating</a> Jamaica’s plans to enter the wider medical-marijuana market. And our critic reports from a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/01/cannes-kicks-off-a-brighter-blockbuster-season?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slimmed-down</a> Cannes film festival.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Loot cause: South Africa’s unrest

<p>Widespread looting and the worst violence since apartheid continue, exposing ethnic divisions and the persistent influence of Jacob Zuma, a former president. <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/07/14/south-africas-war-for-the-rule-of-law?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How</a> to quell the tensions? As some countries administer third covid-19 “booster shots” we ask about the epidemiological and moral cases for and against them. And the bids to <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/14/baseball-risks-irrelevance-if-it-doesnt-adapt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reverse the decline</a> of America’s national pastime.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Texas hold-’em-up: a voting-rights standoff

<p>The state’s Democratic lawmakers have fled to Washington, stymieing a voting-rights bill. We examine the growing state-level, bare-knuckle fights on voting rights across the country. Ransomware attacks just keep getting bolder, more disruptive, more sinister; what <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/19/to-stop-the-ransomware-pandemic-start-with-the-basics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">structural changes</a> could protect industries and institutions from attack? And Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/06/24/eels-are-in-crisis-but-hope-is-coming-on-stream?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">efforts</a> to bring back the eels that once filled its rivers.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Flight attendance: airlines after the pandemic

<p>Which carriers will thrive? Long-haulers or short-hoppers? The no-frills or the glitzy? The bailed-out or the muddled-through? Our industry editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/06/which-airlines-will-soar-after-the-pandemic?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scans the skies</a>. Record numbers of Latin American migrants heading for America’s southern border mask another trend: many are stopping and making a home <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/06/17/many-central-american-migrants-are-staying-in-mexico?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in Mexico</a>. And Japan’s storied but declining public bathhouses get <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/07/01/japans-dying-sento-are-becoming-cool-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hipster makeovers</a>. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Hasta la victoria, hambre: rare protests rock Cuba

<p>Food shortages are nothing new. But it has been decades since shelves have been <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/01/cuba-is-facing-its-worst-shortage-of-food-since-the-1990s?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so empty</a>—and since Cubans took to the streets in such numbers. Richard Branson’s space jaunt was intended to mark the start of a space-tourism industry; we examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/11/will-sir-richard-bransons-virgin-galactic-jaunt-boost-space-tourism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its prospects</a>. And why, despite last night’s disappointment, England’s football fans should be hopeful about their national side.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A decade decayed: South Sudan

<p>The world’s youngest state was born amid boundless optimism. But poverty is still endemic and ethnic tensions still rule politics; <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/10/south-sudans-second-decade-may-be-as-troubled-as-its-first?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what hope</a> for its next decade? Mass graves found at Canada’s “residential schools” have sparked a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/01/more-graves-are-found-at-canadian-schools-for-the-indigenous?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reckoning</a> about past abuses of indigenous peoples. And marking 50 years since the final album of Karen Dalton, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/07/08/karen-dalton-is-the-forgotten-queen-of-the-folk-scene?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">forgotten queen of folk</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 22min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Assassins’ deed: Haiti’s president killed

<p>Jovenel Moïse presided, in an increasingly authoritarian way, over a country slipping toward failed-state status. The unrest is likely to worsen following <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/07/the-murder-of-its-president-will-worsen-haitis-chaos?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his assassination</a>. The Democratic primary race for New York’s mayor has at last been decided, with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/07/eric-adams-is-poised-to-be-new-yorks-next-mayor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lessons</a> for Democrats elsewhere and for fans of ranked-choice voting. And the movement to revive Islam’s bygone relaxed <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/27/gay-people-are-reclaiming-an-islamic-heritage?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attitudes</a> to homosexuality. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Dropped shots: Russia’s third wave

<p>Despite registering the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, the country is being lashed by covid-19. Mixed messages and a long-cultivated mistrust are to blame. DARPA, America’s agency that funds blue-sky tech research, has been so successful down the years that now other countries want <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/03/a-growing-number-of-governments-hope-to-clone-americas-darpa?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to copy it</a>. And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/06/24/kenneth-kaunda-died-on-june-17th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kenneth Kaunda</a>, an icon of African liberation.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Taken for a ride: why China is leaning on Didi

<p>Just after the ride-hailing giant made a splashy stockmarket debut, Chinese regulators <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/05/didis-removal-from-chinas-app-stores-marks-a-growing-crackdown?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">came down hard</a>. Why is the country crimping its tech champions? There is something missing at many American embassies around the world: American ambassadors. We ask why <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/24/america-says-its-back-but-where-are-its-ambassadors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so few</a> are in post, and what risk that poses. And the not-so-simple task of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/21/how-many-oceans-are-there?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">counting</a> the Earth’s oceans.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Leave them in no peace: America’s Afghan exit

<p>Passport queues are lengthening; ad-hoc civilian militias are strengthening. As foreign powers bow out, Taliban militants <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/10/can-afghan-forces-hold-off-the-taliban-after-american-troops-leave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">take</a> district after district—and the fear of the people is palpable. The pandemic drove a boom in the attention economy, and media companies happily obliged. Now, it seems, an “<a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/07/01/as-lockdowns-lift-media-firms-brace-for-an-attention-recession?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attention recession</a>” looms. And a look at the thoroughly inbred nature of thoroughbred <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/06/19/thoroughbred-horses-are-increasingly-inbred?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">horses</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Repetitive strains: SARS-CoV-2 variants

<p>The coronavirus’s Delta variant accounts for ever more infections; we ask about mutational surprises <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/07/03/the-new-variants-of-sars-cov-2-are-much-more-dangerous-to-the-unvaccinated?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">yet to emerge</a>, and what can be done about them. The ousting of Ethiopia’s army from the Tigray region might precipitate <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/01/tigrayan-forces-have-routed-the-ethiopian-army?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far wider conflict</a>—within the country and far beyond its borders. And ahead of the Fourth of July, we find <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/07/02/hollywoods-complicated-relationship-with-the-fourth-of-july?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no good films</a> about the holiday. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Party piece: China’s Communists at 100

<p>Pomp and rhetoric marked the centenary of what are arguably the world’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/26/chinas-communist-party-at-100-the-secret-of-its-longevity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most successful authoritarians</a>. We sit in on the celebrations, tinged with paranoia; we look back to 1921 and <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021/06/23/the-push-to-revamp-the-chinese-communist-party-for-the-next-100-years?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how the party came to be</a> and came to power; and we listen to the <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/b8d60045db7568e16e497defc192abdf?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">party-approved hip-hop</a> that represents a new propaganda push. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

No day in court: Jacob Zuma’s jail sentence

<p>South Africa’s embattled former leader <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/29/the-meaning-of-jacob-zumas-15-month-prison-sentence?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will be imprisoned</a> for failing to show up to trial—a sign that, for all the rot in South Africa, its Constitutional Court still has teeth. Our environment editor discusses the scope of heatwaves <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/29/why-are-the-north-western-united-states-and-british-columbia-suffering-a-heatwave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sweeping</a> the northern hemisphere and cheap ways to lower their death tolls. And how a centuries-old rice dish has become <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/04/22/too-hot-to-handle-the-battle-over-biryani?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">politicised</a> in India.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Bear necessities: learning to handle Russia

<p>As both <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/17/america-and-russia-return-to-traditional-great-power-diplomacy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summitry</a> and military <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/24/russian-and-british-forces-square-off-in-the-black-sea?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">near-misses</a> proliferate, some want measured dialogue while others want markedly tougher talk. Our defence and Russia editors discuss world leaders’ diverging views on handling today’s Russia. South Korea’s new opposition leader is giving voice to many young men who <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/17/young-men-in-south-korea-feel-victimised-by-feminism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rail against</a> the country’s feminist values. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/06/24/on-me-head-son-the-secret-economics-of-footballers-hair?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what lies behind</a> professional footballers’ frequent, flashy haircuts.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Third time’s the harm: Africa’s crippling covid-19 wave

<p>Hopes that the continent had escaped the worst of the pandemic have proved too hasty; our correspondent describes a slow-rolling tragedy with little hope of respite. Reading scores in America are shockingly low; many blame how the skill is taught. We examine one state’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/american-schools-teach-reading-all-wrong?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">experiment</a> with a method known to work better. And how smartphones are <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/06/21/is-smartphone-film-making-the-future-of-cinema?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing</a> the film industry. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Iraq to its foundations: a chance to remake the state

<p>With elections looming, there is an <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/17/relative-peace-gives-iraq-a-chance-to-build-a-functioning-state?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">opportunity</a> to remake a state ravaged by war and riven by power struggles. We ask how to take Iraq out of a hard place. Fires are raging again in the American West; a “<a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/15/is-the-american-west-in-a-megadrought?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">megadrought</a>” in the region may shape its future development. And the 175th anniversary of a foundational <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/24/an-anniversary-for-free-traders?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free-trade battle</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Bench marks: weighing recent SCOTUS rulings

<p>The court’s term is not quite over, with contentious rulings still pending. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/22/americas-supreme-court-paves-the-way-for-college-athletes-to-get-paid?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latest decisions</a> to gauge how its new conservative justices have affected its ideological bent. As a former Mauritanian president heads to jail we examine the country’s efforts to tackle corruption and bridge deep <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/10/mauritania-may-be-changing-for-the-better?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">societal divides</a>. And the long philosophical reach of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/05/22/a-century-ago-ludwig-wittgenstein-changed-philosophy-for-ever?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">only book</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Hunger strikes: North Korea’s food shortages

<p>An admission that the country’s food situation is “tense” is a rare glimpse into the compounding effects of pandemic policies and crop failures. Adherents of wild conspiracy theories in America tend to be white, and often evangelical. But Hispanic Americans are getting <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/hispanic-americans-are-curious-about-qanon-too?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conspiracy-curious</a> too. And the moonshine that’s made from an Indian <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/04/17/the-joys-of-mahua-an-indian-tree-flower-and-liquor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flower</a> with a deep history.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Drop it when it’s hot: the Fed’s consequential hint

<p>The merest mention of future interest-rate rises from America’s central bank sent markets into <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/20/global-markets-adapt-to-a-change-in-the-federal-reserves-tone?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a tizzy</a>. We consider the merits and the effects of signalling early and often. Europe’s drug use dipped when the pandemic began, but <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/10/europes-drug-habit-proves-immune-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">soon rebounded</a>; we examine the rising potency of the continent’s drugs and drug syndicates. And data <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/10/remote-workers-work-longer-not-more-efficiently?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> what makes work-from-home productivity so low.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>