The Intelligence from The Economist

The smell of gas: insurgency in Mozambique

<p>In a province that is home to a massive natural-gas project, a long-simmering insurgency has burst into horrific violence; we ask why the government <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/18/america-designates-a-new-branch-of-islamic-state-in-mozambique?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seems to have lost control</a>. Our correspondent visits Minneapolis, where the police officer accused of murdering George Floyd <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/2255538166d2e6f3c6097c2c4df4e0be?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">goes on trial</a> today. And the existential threat to a bird that has forgotten <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/17/extinction-looms-for-a-bird-that-has-forgotten-how-to-sing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to sing love songs</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>

Growth and stagnation: Bangladesh’s first 50 years

The country has empowered its women, established itself as a garment-industry powerhouse and vastly improved public health—but its politics <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/27/as-it-turns-50-bangladesh-is-doing-well-despite-its-politicians?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remains troubled</a>. The pandemic has not reduced average global happiness, but rather <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/03/20/the-pandemic-has-changed-the-shape-of-global-happiness?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reshaped it</a>: the old are more content and the young less so. And a look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/03/24/the-jumbo-traffic-jam-on-the-suez-canal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staggering costs</a> of the Suez Canal blockage. 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> <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>

Export-control panel: the EU meets on vaccines

European leaders <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/13d763a5838ca85acd2d4ff824ab03ea?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will address</a> the thorny question of <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/24/europes-plans-to-restrict-vaccine-exports-are-dangerous?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vaccine-export controls</a> today. We look at the row with Britain and what it means for the broader relationship with the EU. Our correspondent visits Congo-Brazzaville as the president of nearly 37 years <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/24/congo-brazzavilles-president-is-re-elected-after-his-rival-dies-of-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">triumphs again</a>—at a continuing cost to his people. And research <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/02/20/data-on-inbred-nobles-support-a-leader-driven-theory-of-history?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suggests</a> that Europe’s most inbred rulers were the least adept.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> <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>

Can’t take a hike: more economic turmoil in Turkey

<p>President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just does not like interest-rate rises. So he has again <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/22/turkey-faces-a-currency-crisis-after-erdogan-sacks-his-central-banker?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sacked</a> a central-bank governor given to imposing them—again, to his own peril. America’s love of free markets extends also to the business of sperm donation; our correspondent discusses the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/03/americas-love-of-free-markets-extends-to-its-fertility-clinics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">risks</a> that come with so little regulation. And the opera <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2021/03/16/missy-mazzolis-operas-defy-pigeonholing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">composer</a> who is shaking up stereotypes.</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>

Always be their Bibi? Israel votes, again

<p>It’s the fourth poll in two years, but a stable government is still <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/20/binyamin-netanyahu-hopes-to-win-yet-another-election-in-israel?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far from guaranteed</a>. We examine the firm grip Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu still has on Israeli politics. In the Philippines, children have been cooped up at home for a year—but citizens seem to buy into <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/18/kids-in-the-philippines-have-not-left-their-homes-for-a-year?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the government’s rationale</a>. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/03/08/making-dough-how-corporate-america-created-the-chocolate-chip-cookie?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real history</a> of the chocolate chip cookie.</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>

Not-purchasing power: boycotts in Myanmar

<p>As demonstrations against February’s coup continue, many are trying a subtler form of resistance: starving army-owned businesses of revenue. We ask whether <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/18/economic-pressure-is-unlikely-to-force-myanmars-junta-to-retreat?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the ploy</a> will work. Snippets of Neanderthal DNA survive in most humans—and they are a <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/02/24/dna-from-neanderthals-affects-vulnerability-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mixed blessing</a> as regards the risks of covid-19. And, not for the first time, Britain’s census questions <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/03/20/britains-census-form-reveals-the-obsessions-of-different-eras?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> the preoccupations of a nation.</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>

Another race question: murder in Atlanta

<p>A <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/20/a-gruesome-shooting-in-atlanta-leaves-asian-americans-frightened?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shooting</a> in the city left eight dead, six of them women of East Asian descent. We examine the past and present of anti-Asian sentiment in America. Frontex, Europe’s border-enforcement agency, is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/03/frontex-the-eus-border-force-swells-in-size?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rising in clout</a> and requisitioning more kit; we look at the closest the bloc has come to having a standing army. And why managers should tackle <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/13/the-secret-to-cutting-corporate-red-tape?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nonsensical workplace rules</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>

Forces to be reckoned with: Afghan peace talks

Negotiations in Moscow may at last forge agreement between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents; that, in turn, would inform America’s long-promised <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/13/if-america-leaves-afghanistan-there-will-be-trouble?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drawdown</a>. The International Criminal Court can investigate crimes against humans, but there is <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/28/is-it-time-for-ecocide-to-become-an-international-crime?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a push</a> to make injury to the environment a high crime, too. And a look at Britney Spears’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/16/why-are-conservatorships-controversial?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conservatorship</a>, a legal arrangement ripe for abuse. 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> <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>

Harms weigh: AstraZeneca vaccine fears

Scattered reports of blood clots have sparked curbs across Europe, even though the jab is almost certainly safe. We take a hard look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/15/eu-countries-pause-astrazenecas-covid-19-jab-over-safety-fears?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the risks</a> in relative terms. After Canada arrested a Huawei executive in 2018, China detained two Canadians—we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/03/08/only-america-can-break-the-deadlock-between-canada-and-china?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hostage diplomacy</a> still playing out. And how “non-fungible tokens” may <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/03/15/non-fungible-tokens-are-useful-innovative-and-frothy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">benefit digital artists</a> of all sorts. 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> <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>

Earning them: Stripe’s monster valuation

<p>The firm got in early providing online-payment software to tech startups. Now it’s the most valuable Silicon Valley darling yet. We look at its future prospects. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/20/andrew-cuomo-faces-a-reckoning-for-a-pandemic-related-cover-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">raft of allegations</a> and widespread calls to quit; our correspondent reckons he will not go anywhere without a fight. And the Kabul <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/13/plastic-surgery-is-thriving-in-afghanistan-to-the-outrage-of-some?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">beauty trend</a> that keeps growing.</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>

Redrawing the map: a fragmented Syria

As the country marks ten years of civil war, the economy is crippled; it <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/13/ten-years-of-war-have-broken-syria-into-pieces" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has broken up</a> into statelets and ethnic enclaves that may never be reunified. Violence against women is sparking a global wave of protest. We examine why it is more widespread, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/03/11/violence-against-women-is-a-scourge-on-poor-countries" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more damaging</a>, in the poor world. And the creature that can <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/08/an-animal-that-can-regrow-its-entire-body?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shed its entire body</a>. 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> <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>

Casting the net wider: remaking the welfare state

<p>As the Biden administration fires a $1.9trn pandemic-relief bazooka, we consider how governments might <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/03/06/how-to-make-a-social-safety-net-for-the-post-covid-world?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rethink welfare</a>: providing more-flexible benefits, investing in human capital and acting as an insurer against the gravest risks. The simple pleasure of human touch, so constrained of late, is not an emotional luxury—it’s a <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/20/the-pandemic-made-the-world-realise-the-importance-of-human-contact?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">physical need</a>. And why it’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/03/13/making-up-new-words-is-easy-getting-them-used-is-harder?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so hard</a> to coin a word.</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>

Nuclear inaction: the legacy of Fukushima

The cleanup effort in and around the melted-down power plant is still progressing, but rebuilding communities—and, crucially, trust—is proving <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/06/the-fukushima-disaster-was-not-the-turning-point-many-had-hoped?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more difficult</a>. As Rupert Murdoch turns 90 we look at how his businesses <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/06/rupert-murdoch-prepares-to-hand-over-his-media-empire?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are faring</a>, and how they are likely to be run by his heirs. And the Victorian strongman who was arguably the world’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/03/01/the-worlds-first-fitness-influencer-was-a-victorian-strongman?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first fitness influencer</a>. 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> <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>

Whither permitting? Vaccine passports

<p>Formalising systems to divide the vaccinated from the unvaccinated is neither as risky nor as useful as many people think. In any case, vaccine passports are coming. On the anniversary of Tibet’s uprising, we examine how pressure on Tibetan Buddhism is rising, with <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/02/13/as-in-xinjiang-china-is-tightening-its-grip-in-tibet?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dark parallels</a> to Uyghur Muslims’ plight. And why it’s time to <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/02/27/time-to-end-duty-free?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">close the gate</a> on duty-free shopping.</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>

Reconciled to it: America’s stimulus bill

<p>Thanks to a parliamentary contortion called reconciliation, the $1.9trn covid-relief plan is likely to sail through—we examine what is in it and what its passage <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/07/how-joe-biden-got-his-sizeable-stimulus-bill-through-the-senate?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">portends</a> for lawmaking in the Biden era. Unrest is unusual in Senegal, but citizens are <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/293131be3fe9d60523ebbc6dd0c2e5c3?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">out in force</a>; we ask about the roots of the protest mood. And what ever happened to <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/02/17/how-the-iphone-killed-the-custom-ringtone?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bespoke ringtones</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>

Despair and disparities: covid-19 consumes Brazil

State and local pandemic responses are scattershot; a national effort is all but nonexistent. A creeping sense of fatalism makes for peril far beyond the country’s borders. Aggregate American jobs numbers are promising, but our correspondent digs deeper to find <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/27/the-pandemic-has-pushed-working-mums-out-of-the-labour-force?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how much harder</a> women have it in the labour force. And <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/b5cfd61c1cbee98c213154d26400aeae?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the interview</a> set to widen Britain’s royal rift. 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> <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>

Rubber-stamping ground: China’s parliament meets

<p>The National People’s Congress kicked off with two big signals of Beijing’s intentions: a <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/6147246665001872dd5a886d418f990c?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">return</a> to economic-growth targets and a plan to eradicate Hong Kong’s vestiges of democracy. On the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, Pope Francis hopes to give succour to the country’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/04/the-pope-is-heading-for-iraq-where-christians-remain-afraid?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">beleaguered Christians</a>. And the continued <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/06/even-before-covid-19-nightclubs-were-struggling?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tribulations</a> of the nightclub scene.</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>

Exit stages left: America and the Middle East

The Biden administration would like to pull back from the region; America’s strategic interests have changed, as have regional dynamics. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/03/can-joe-biden-get-america-out-of-the-middle-east?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">careful exit</a> that is possible. To evade censors China’s cinephiles often turn to pirated versions of foreign films, but the volunteers who subtitle them are under <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/02/18/chinas-campaign-against-film-piracy-is-upsetting-hollywood-fans?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increasing pressure</a>. And researchers <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/02/20/lucid-dreamers-may-be-able-to-talk-to-the-outside-world?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">make a connection</a> with the dream world. 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> <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>

Owing to the pandemic: Britain’s budget

The finance minister has <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/149a11285a240705355ff4fe66dc3731?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a plan</a> that will keep many safeguards in place—for now. We ask how the country will then dig itself out of a financial hole. As countries aim for net-zero emissions, <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/22/what-is-the-cheapest-way-to-cut-carbon?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to pick</a> the policies that do the most good for the least cash? And why every fruit tree in Zanzibar <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/02/18/the-complications-of-buying-land-in-zanzibar?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has an owner</a>. 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> <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 dark picture emerges: atrocities in Ethiopia

<p>It is becoming more certain that war crimes are being committed in the northern region of Tigray. Yet, despite increasing international pressure, there is little hope the suffering will soon end. In China anti-capitalist sentiment is growing online; overworked youth have a decidedly <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/02/06/anti-capitalist-tirades-go-viral-in-china?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maoist view</a> of the country’s biggest businesses and tycoons. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/02/27/skiing-without-lifts-in-france?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">uphill struggles</a> of France’s skiing 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>

Coup fighters: Myanmar’s persistent protesters

<p>The temperature keeps rising: as demonstrations continue to grow, the army is becoming <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/02/28/myanmar-records-its-deadliest-day-of-pro-democracy-protests?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more brutal</a>. We ask how the country can escape the cycle of violence. In a pandemic, laws against misinformation have their merits—but are also easily put to work for <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/13/censorious-governments-are-abusing-fake-news-laws?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">censorious governments</a>. And why British dependencies want to <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/02/20/growing-cannabis-on-britains-smallest-islands?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">get growing</a> in the medical-marijuana game.</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>

Mutual-appreciation anxiety: Putin and Erdogan

The presidents of Turkey and Russia make an odd couple; their former empires have clashed over centuries. We look at the fragile—but nonetheless worrisome—<a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/02/23/putin-and-erdogan-have-formed-a-brotherhood-of-hard-power?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">alliance</a> between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. India’s economy is recovering but a longstanding drag on growth persists: the overwhelming fraction of women <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/02/20/only-7-of-urban-indian-women-have-paid-jobs?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">absent</a> from the labour force. And an unlikely <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/02/27/a-music-video-rattles-cubas-regime?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">protest anthem</a> rattles Cuba’s regime. 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> <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>

Hell for Tether: a cryptocurrency crimped

<p>The notionally dollar-pegged “stablecoin” quietly underpins many crypto-market moves. We ask what the currency issuer’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/23/tether-is-fined-by-regulators-in-new-york?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clash</a> with New York authorities means for the wider crypto craze. In many African countries, parliamentarians are asked to fill public-service gaps—at great personal cost. We examine moves toward a fairer forking out of funds. And why physical-education exams are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/02/06/officials-in-china-make-pupils-take-sport-seriously-with-exams?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">popping up</a> in China.</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>

Let the games be thin: Tokyo’s Olympic tussles

<p>Planners are in a corner. Delaying or cancelling the summer tournament looks like defeat; pressing ahead looks like a danger. We take a look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/13/the-obstacles-to-holding-the-tokyo-olympics-in-july-are-daunting?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sporting chances</a>. Britain has decarbonised <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/02/15/how-britain-decarbonised-faster-than-any-other-rich-country?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">faster</a> than any other rich country, but getting to “net zero” will be a whole lot harder. And why South Koreans have <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/13/south-koreans-are-being-driven-mad-by-noisy-neighbours?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">such trouble</a> with noisy neighbours.</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>

Confirmation biases: Biden’s cabinet picks

President Joe Biden’s top posts are shaping up as Senate confirmation hearings continue—but some <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/22/how-deb-haaland-would-change-the-interior-department?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">controversial nominations</a> await a vote. We look at who is on the docket. Politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/02/09/congos-president-cuts-free-of-his-would-be-puppetmaster?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has become messy</a>, at the expense of some promised and much-needed reforms. And why the global rap scene is picking up <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/01/30/grime-and-uk-drill-are-exporting-multicultural-london-english?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a London accent</a>. 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> <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>

Contrary to popular opinion: Mexico’s president

<p>Andrés Manuel López Obrador roared into office with a grand “fourth transformation” agenda. Even after two years of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/02/20/mexicos-president-has-yet-to-make-peoples-lives-better?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">policy failures and power-grabbing</a>, he remains wildly popular. An eye-catching new report <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/06/how-should-economists-think-about-biodiversity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">implores</a> economists to take biodiversity into account—and puts some sobering limits on growth. And a chat through the state of the art in <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/02/11/conversational-computers-have-come-a-long-way?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conversational computers</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>

Have I not news for you: Facebook’s Australian battle

<p>A media code that would obligate tech giants to pay for linking to news stories looks set to pass. In response, Facebook pre-emptively <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/02/18/facebook-walks-as-google-caves-in-australia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">took down</a> those links—and a whole lot more. So-called <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/02/06/arab-governments-are-doing-too-little-to-end-honour-killings?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">honour killings</a> persist in the Arab world; we examine the support for such murders and look at attempts to reform lax laws. And remembering the jazz-fusion giant <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/02/18/chick-corea-died-on-february-9th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chick Corea</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>

Watts the problem: Texas’s energy failings

<p>Crippling blackouts can be explained in part by the state’s unique energy market, but the disaster exposes <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/17/the-freeze-in-texas-exposes-americas-infrastructural-failings?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wider failures</a> that must be confronted amid a changing climate. Today’s landing of another Mars rover broadens the hunt for evidence of extraterrestrial life—an effort that is <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/02/13/the-search-for-et-may-soon-yield-an-answer?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">expanding</a> faster and farther than ever before. And soft rock <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2021/02/11/soft-rock-has-rediscovered-its-hard-interior?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shakes off</a> its milquetoast manner.</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>Listen and subscribe to “<a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2021/02/08/the-jab-a-new-podcast-from-the-economist?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Jab from Economist Radio</a>”, our new weekly podcast at the sharp end of the global vaccination race.</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 next of 1,000 cuts: Hong Kong activists on trial

<p>It is not violent young protesters in the dock: the accused are the architects of the territory’s democracy. Our correspondent examines the city’s descent into authoritarian rule. In Colombia, activists are disappearing or being killed at <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/02/13/why-colombias-social-leaders-are-being-murdered?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a horrific rate</a>. We ask why, and what can be done. And weighing up Oregon’s daring <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/13/oregon-decriminalises-drugs-for-personal-use?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drug-decriminalisation experiment</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>

Desert stands: France in the Sahel

Terror groups and separatists run riot in the sprawling region, and France has had <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/9f5a14374960400c7f537198d1e26acd?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">some success</a> in keeping the peace. But how, and when, to draw down its troops? Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the World Trade Organisation’s history-making new leader, has <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/81517079882bbb04ab3b2c1fb244f336?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">quite the task</a> ahead to rebuild trust in and among the institution’s members. And the <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/4f4c7d3dd85ea84eb208d7cd031dbfe7?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">worrying shifts</a> in subsea soundscapes. Additional audio courtesy Jana Winderen. 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> <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>