The Intelligence from The Economist

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>

A vote with no confidence: Ethiopia’s untimely election

<p>The northern region of Tigray, consumed by war and facing famine, will not vote today. It is all a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/16/ethiopias-flawed-elections-risk-dividing-the-country-further?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far cry</a> from what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed once promised. Italy has piles of cash and a new ministry to guide it through a green revolution; we examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/12/italy-has-a-tough-task-ahead-on-climate-change?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its plans</a> and its challenges. And a rare conservation <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/05/27/australian-whales-are-breeding-like-rabbits?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">success</a> off Australia’s 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>

Press to exit: Hong Kong’s media arrests

<p>The raid of an outspoken pro-democracy newspaper, carried out under the city’s newish security law, has further <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/06/19/hong-kongs-liberal-media-are-under-pressure?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spooked</a> its media outlets. We ask what remains of press freedom. Our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/06/19/economically-covid-19-has-hit-hard-up-urbanites-hardest?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">visits</a> Europe’s and Africa’s largest slums to see how a grinding pandemic has affected their residents. And how Somaliland’s curious, silent <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/13/why-camel-traders-are-getting-the-hump?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">camel-trading method</a> is changing.</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 hardline act to follow: Iran’s presidential election

The supreme leader is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/10/iran-has-rigged-its-election-to-favour-ebrahim-raisi-a-hardliner?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">consolidating</a> theocratic power and ensuring a hardline legacy. Voters know they have little meaningful choice; many will simply stay home. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/16/a-life-saving-new-drug-for-covid-19-is-found?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trial</a> shows the life-saving power of an antibody therapy for the most severe covid-19 cases—suggesting that seemingly failed earlier drugs need revisiting. And why a faded folk-music tradition in Norway is experiencing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/05/29/norwegian-folk-music-is-worth-preserving-says-the-un?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a revival</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>

Present, tense: Biden and Putin meet

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have much to hammer out today—but don’t expect it to be genial. We examine what is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/15/a-summit-with-vladimir-putin-tests-joe-bidens-new-foreign-policy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the table</a>, and how each president will be judged. <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/10/cryptocoins-are-proliferating-wildly-what-are-they-all-for?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Competition</a> in the cryptocurrency world is mushrooming; we ask whether any contender might knock bitcoin off its top slot. And France’s curious sell-now, die-later <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/05/27/the-pandemic-revives-interest-in-a-morbid-french-financial-scheme?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">property scheme</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>

Patrons’ taint: Brazil’s pork-barrel politics

President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned on a promise to overturn the country’s political patronage, but as his popularity has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/05/29/brazils-president-jair-bolsonaro-is-under-siege?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slipped</a> he has come to need it. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/12/will-commercial-jets-break-the-sound-barrier-once-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latest bids</a> to return to commercial supersonic flight look promisingly quieter, cheaper and perhaps even more sustainable. And our correspondent reflects on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/05/27/i-spent-thousands-on-chemical-straightening-the-price-of-having-black-hair-in-a-white-world?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs</a> of having black hair in a white 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>

Promises, promises: the G7’s fuzzy climate pledges

Where they are clear, the summit’s commitments <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/f1017c1c7ca672a0b82961a6d2c5bab8?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">do not add much</a> to existing targets; mostly, though, they are woefully short on detail. We pick through the pledges. Germany is facing up to a colonial-era atrocity in modern-day Namibia, but a hard-won reparations <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/05/22/germany-is-apologising-for-crimes-a-century-ago-in-namibia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deal</a> will not quell controversy. And how Persian-music artists are <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/05/29/niche-services-are-connecting-iranian-artists-and-listeners?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">upending</a> the audio-streaming model. 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>

Staying powers? The G7’s changing role

For the seven world leaders meeting in Britain the immediate crises are clear. But a broader question <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/09/who-gets-to-be-in-the-g7?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hangs over them</a>: how can the G7 maintain its relevance? A ruling in Britain excites a debate that takes in free speech, trans rights and <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/02/27/companies-are-increasingly-worried-about-what-their-employees-say?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">workplace policy</a>. And “van life” keeps <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/05/the-pandemic-pushed-more-americans-to-try-out-van-life?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spreading</a> but, as ever, not everything is as it seems on Instagram. Additional audio by Bryher's Boys, courtesy of Bryher’s Boys Publishing. 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>

An exit wounds: America’s Afghanistan retreat

<p>Air bases have been handed over; America’s remaining troops are shipping out and NATO forces are following suit. Can Afghanistan’s government forces <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/06/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">hold off</a> the Taliban? In parts of China, a playful wedding tradition goes a bit <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/05/27/china-wants-to-curb-an-old-custom-the-hazing-of-wedding-couples?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">too far</a> for Communist Party authorities’ taste. And a look at just <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/03/testing-alibis-is-not-as-straightforward-as-it-seems?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how bad</a> people are at coming up with accurate alibis. </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>

You don’t say: Indonesia joins Asia’s digital censorship

As governments across South-East Asia crimp online freedoms, the region’s healthiest democracy might have been expected to resist the trend. <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/05/indonesia-adds-another-weapon-to-its-speech-suppressing-arsenal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Not so</a>. President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua is using a new law to detain more of his potential adversaries in November’s election—and is coming under international pressure. And how Jordan’s gas-delivery-truck <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/05/jordanians-wake-to-an-irritating-tune-blared-from-gas-trucks?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jingles</a> jangle nerves. 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>

Criminal proceedings: America’s spike in violence

Piecemeal criminal-justice reforms following last year’s protests are coming up against hard numbers: violent crime is up. We ask what can, and should, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/05/violent-crime-is-rising-in-american-cities-putting-criminal-justice-reform-at-risk?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">be done</a>. The man who led a coup in Mali last year has done it again; our correspondent considers how the tumult <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/25/the-leaders-of-malis-coup-last-august-do-it-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">affects</a> the wider, regional fight against jihadism. And the global <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/05/streaming-and-covid-19-have-entrenched-animes-global-popularity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spread</a> of Japan’s beloved anime. 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>

Ballots and bullets: Mexico’s elections

The run-up to the country’s largest-ever election has been bloody; the aftermath will set the tone for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/05/27/voters-should-curb-mexicos-power-hungry-president?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">record so far</a> is woeful. Our analysis of listed green-technology firms <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/05/17/green-assets-are-on-a-wild-ride?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveals</a> striking growth—but as with any tech-stock spike, it is worth asking whether it is all a bubble. And a look at two missions heading to Venus. 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>

Peace out: from bad to worse in Yemen

The Saudi-backed government is hobbled; separatism is spreading; a humanitarian crisis grows by the day. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/08/houthi-rebels-look-to-take-marib-prolonging-yemens-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rebel advance</a> on a once-safe city will only prolong a grinding war. We look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/05/horseracing-the-sport-of-kings-needs-more-punters-and-fewer-drugs?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scourge</a> of doping in horse racing ahead of this weekend’s Belmont Stakes. And the last surviving foreign fighter in Spain’s civil war was a revolutionary <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/06/05/josep-almudever-died-on-may-23rd?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to the end</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>

Catch-up mustered: Europe’s vaccination drive

The bloc seems at last to have <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/01/europes-vaccination-campaign-has-gathered-pace-though-not-everywhere?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a firm hand</a> on inoculation and recovery—but efforts to engineer even progress among member states are not quite panning out. In recent years Bangladesh’s government has been cosy with a puritanical Islamist group; we ask why the relationship has <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/05/29/bangladeshs-government-cracks-down-on-a-big-islamist-group?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">grown complicated</a>. And a genetic-engineering <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/05/26/genetic-engineering-may-help-control-disease-carrying-mosquitoes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">solution</a> to the problem of mosquito-borne disease. 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>

Swiping rights: Republicans’ vote-crimping bids

A walkout in the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/05/29/in-texas-the-most-conservative-legislative-session-in-a-generation-is-wrapping-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Texas legislature</a> is just the most dramatic of broad efforts to restrict voting rights—in particular of minority voters. We examine the risks to America’s democracy. Changes in climate and populations are driving nomadic Nigerian herders into <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/22/a-nigerian-plan-to-reconcile-farmers-and-herders-is-not-working?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increasing conflict</a>; how to preserve their way of life? And a new kind of space race <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/b9cc29ff23a908aaf7f741dabbe5b0f6?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">aims</a> for the silver screen. 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>

Bibi, it’s cold outside: Israel’s improbable coalition

The only thing that unites the parties of a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/30/israels-opposition-has-finally-mustered-a-majority-to-dislodge-binyamin-netanyahu?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">would-be government</a> is the will to oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. What chance their coalition can secure political stability? A new report reveals where the gangsters of the Balkans are stashing their loot: in an increasingly distorted <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/05/22/balkan-money-laundering-is-booming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">property market</a>. And a look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/05/29/canadians-are-in-a-flutter-about-butter?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mysterious case</a> of Canada’s hardened butter. 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>

From the head down: rot in South Africa

<p>Jacob Zuma, a former president, at last <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/541cf8e1355332b5f4bf6d96aca9b925?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">answers to</a> decades-old corruption allegations. But graft still permeates his ANC party and government at every level. The pandemic’s hit to parents—particularly women—is becoming <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/05/22/how-the-pandemic-has-upended-the-lives-of-working-parents?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clear</a>, from mental-health matters to career progression to progress toward gender equality. And the super-slippery <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/05/20/how-to-get-all-the-toothpaste-out-of-the-tube?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surface</a> that ensures you get the most from your toothpaste tube.</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>

Caught in the activists: oil majors’ shake-ups

<p>Activist investors installed green-minded board members at ExxonMobil; Chevron’s shareholders pushed a carbon-cutting plan; a Dutch court ruled Shell must cut emissions. We examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/05/23/what-a-proxy-fight-at-exxonmobil-says-about-big-oil-and-climate-change?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a tumultuous week</a> for the supermajors. After years of scant attention, Scotland’s drug-death problem is at last being acknowledged and <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/04/24/scotlands-drug-death-crisis-is-in-need-of-a-fix?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tackled</a>. And the Peruvian pop star <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/05/22/renata-flores-a-peruvian-singer-embraces-her-quechua-heritage?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">boosting</a> the fortunes of a long-derided indigenous language.</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>