The Intelligence from The Economist

Out on a LegCo: Hong Kong under pressure

<p>Following a purge based on a harsh new security law, the territory’s Legislative Council lacks a single opposition voice. That will make the work of pro-Beijing lawmakers easier. As promising vaccines start to emerge, we examine the role of so-called T-cells in granting <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/07/the-t-cell-immune-response-to-covid-lasts-at-least-six-months?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">long-lasting immunity</a> to the coronavirus. And why employers are relying more and more on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/05/questionable-behaviour?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">psychometric tests</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>

Disrupter, disrupted: Britain’s government

<p>The chief aide to the prime minister had been a driving force in policy but a dividing force in government. What will happen now that he has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/13/dominic-cummings-boris-johnsons-chief-aide-stands-down?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stood down</a>? We examine how Canada’s response to the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/05/jobs-are-coming-back-in-canada-thanks-to-subsidies?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shielded its economy</a>—so far. And lockdowns bring <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/14/stockpiling-pasta-boosts-italys-foodmakers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the market for pasta</a> to a rolling boil. </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>

Going to cede: Armenia and Azerbaijan

<p>The longest-running conflict in the Caucasus could well be over. We examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/10/armenia-and-azerbaijan-end-a-30-year-conflict-with-a-tense-peace-deal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a peace deal</a> that benefits outside powers and chips away at regional identities. The hipster aesthetic long ago permeated rich countries; our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/11/07/even-as-traditional-globalisation-has-slowed-a-new-kind-has-sped-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finds it creeping</a> even into impoverished and war-torn corners of the world. And reflecting on the life of James Randi, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/11/14/james-randi-died-on-october-20th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tireless debunker</a> of charlatans.</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>

Sahel of a mess: France’s impossible peacekeeping mission

Jihadism is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/15/malis-civilian-government-has-rather-a-lot-of-soldiers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">growing</a> in a continent-wide strip of Africa, and the riskiest operations to contain it fall to French troops. Our correspondent witnesses a fraught and seemingly endless mission. Peru has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/10/perus-congress-topples-martin-vizcarra-on-its-second-attempt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ousted</a> yet another president, at a woeful time: the pandemic is raging, the economy cratering and politics fracturing. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/07/a-proposal-to-water-down-swedens-state-monopoly-on-booze?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">movement</a> to water down Sweden’s state monopoly on booze. 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>

We’ll again have Paris: Biden’s ambitious climate plans

President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign had the environment front and centre. We analyse <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/09/19/global-warming-and-the-presidential-election?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his pledges</a>—and his prospects for implementing them. As the video-gaming industry releases its <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/07/playstation-5-v-xbox-series-x?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">next round of consoles</a>, it is eyeing a far larger prize: high-end gaming with no console at all. And the red poppy of Remembrance Day turns into something of <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/05/competitive-remembrance-day-celebrations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an armistice race</a> in Britain. 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>

Nine out of ten, doctors say: a promising coronavirus vaccine

A vaccine claimed to be 90% effective represents <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/09/pfizers-and-biontechs-vaccine-is-the-start-of-the-end-of-the-pandemic?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an enormous achievement</a>. We discuss what questions remain and the regulatory and distribution challenges ahead. A string of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/05/democracy-is-faltering-in-tanzania-and-ivory-coast?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent African elections</a> reveals strongmen bending democracy to stay in office; will upcoming polls break it altogether? And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/indian-stoners-face-a-moral-crusade?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">moral crusade</a> in India doesn’t fit the country’s chill relationship with weed. 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>

Brought to heal: Biden’s chance to unite America

<p>President Donald Trump will go, but Trumpism will remain. Our editor-in-chief considers how President-elect Biden can <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/08/joe-biden-and-the-new-art-of-world-leadership?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">repair</a> the divided country he will inherit. Denmark aims to cull 17m mink that could represent a reservoir of a mutated coronavirus—why didn’t it do so when <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/05/covid-19-ends-dutch-mink-farming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">other countries did</a>? And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/11/05/whats-bigger-than-k-pop?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">old-timey Korean music</a> that might just challenge K-pop.  </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>

Abiy damned: Ethiopia’s looming civil war

<p>Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/04/ethiopia-lurches-towards-civil-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drastic steps</a> to quieten a state stacked with trained militias. The conflict could draw in more states—or the whole of the Horn of Africa. China’s increasing push for self-reliance in a globalised economy has its complications—made clear by a vast influx of precision-bred <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/29/high-tech-chickens-are-a-case-study-of-why-self-reliance-is-so-hard?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">super-chickens</a>. And the macabre tale of books <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/55b815e096cacb06e3e556d22e8d106c?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bound with human skin</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>

The lawyers of diminishing returns: America’s election

As President Donald Trump’s re-election path <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/joe-bidens-recovery-in-the-midwest-brings-him-closer-to-victory?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slims</a>, his pledges to fight the results in court are multiplying. We look at the cases that may eventually decide the election. Global crises tend to affect birth rates, and covid-19 is no different—but <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/28/the-pandemic-may-be-leading-to-fewer-babies-in-rich-countries?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the effects</a> are not evenly spread. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/how-hotels-are-trying-to-attract-remote-workers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suite alternative</a> for business types tired of working from home. 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>

Tally forth: America’s elections

The outcome remains unclear as vote-counting continues. We look at some of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/donald-trump-does-better-than-predicted-but-joe-biden-has-a-slight-edge?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surprise results</a>, ask what happens next and examine how <em>The Economist</em>’s <a href="https://projects.economist.com/us-2020-forecast/president?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">election forecast</a> has held up. And we tag along with our American correspondents for the thrill of election-night reporting.The latest results are here <a href="http://www.economist.com/us2020results" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/us2020results</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>

Poles’ position: an abortion-law backlash

Poland already had some of the strictest laws on terminations, but the ruling party’s bid to tighten them further has sparked <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/31/polands-abortion-rules-are-now-among-the-strictest-in-any-rich-country?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">national outrage</a>. We lay out what to expect on election night in America—the denouement will not be simple, and is <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/02/biden-or-trump-americans-may-have-to-wait-days-to-know-who-won?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely to be quick</a>. And a historical look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/20/movie-night-at-the-white-house-a-century-of-screenings-decoded?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">films</a> screened in the White House’s private cinema. 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>

Lock step: England to shut down, again

<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson all but ruled out a second lockdown, but his hand has been forced by England’s caseload. What are the political costs of his U-turn? Myanmar’s coming election will almost certainly be marred by <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/in-myanmar-facebook-struggles-with-a-deluge-of-disinformation?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disinformation on Facebook</a>—principally because so many Burmese people get their only news there. And examining the current <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/15/political-biographies-are-dislodging-celebrity-books?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">glut of political biographies</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>

Net losses: plunder of the oceans

The staggering extent of illegal fishing, and its human and environmental costs, are only just becoming clear. We ask how to put a shadowy industry <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/22/illicit-fishing-devastates-the-seas-and-abuses-crews?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on a more even keel</a>. The old guard likes to mock millennial investors, but they’re <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/24/in-defence-of-millennial-investors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing finance</a>, possibly for the better. And as Berlin’s shiny new airport opens we ask: why is it <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/17/berlins-long-delayed-airport-is-finally-opening?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nine years late</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>

What Xi said: China’s five-year plan

<p>The party’s Fifth Plenum sets out a five-year vision; we mine the plan for clues about how China views itself in the world—and how long Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/31/chinas-most-senior-officials-endorse-economic-plans-for-years-ahead?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">intends to lead</a>. The pandemic has the rich world <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/10/covid-19-is-helping-wealthy-countries-talk-about-death?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thinking and talking about death</a> in a way not seen since the second world war. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/31/singapores-government-helps-old-food-hawkers-but-not-young-ones?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an uncertain future</a> for Singapore’s famed street-food hawkers.</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>

Stumbling bloc: Europe’s second wave

<p>Across the continent, covid-19 cases are rising steeply and containment measures are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/22/a-second-wave-of-covid-19-sends-much-of-europe-back-into-lockdown?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still divergent</a>. We look at the challenges of finding policies that are efficacious and sustainable. Tanzania’s election today is all but zipped up; President John Magufuli has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/22/president-magufuli-is-likely-to-win-an-unfair-vote-in-tanzania?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trampling</a> the country’s hard-won democratic traditions. And what the florid language of wine experts <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/17/does-naming-a-thing-help-you-understand-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">says</a> about human perception.</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>

Chagrin, and Barrett: America’s Supreme Court

Amy Coney Barrett’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/26/amy-coney-barrett-is-set-to-transform-americas-supreme-court?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">confirmation</a> marks the first time since the 1930s the court has leaned so conservative, and has stoked another partisan battle that may further reshape the court. Following the announcement of <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/26/there-is-now-cast-iron-evidence-for-water-on-the-moon?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">water on the Moon</a>, we look at a looming, broader battle: who will own the water rights? And why Australia’s aboriginal flag is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/a-copyright-dispute-ensnares-the-aboriginal-flag?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying less and less</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>

Coming write-up: Chile votes to overhaul its constitution

<p>The country has roundly rejected its dictatorship-era charter and mapped out how to fashion a new one. What do Chileans <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/22/chiles-momentous-referendum-on-its-constitution?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stand to gain</a>—and to lose? Rising populations of the elderly in the world’s prisons are creating <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/07/the-pandemic-is-boosting-efforts-to-get-the-old-out-of-prison?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deepening problems</a>, both for jailers and the jailed. And we explore <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/10/24/can-too-many-brainy-people-be-a-dangerous-thing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a theory</a> that blames political chaos on too many would-be elites.</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>

Civil proceedings: America's presidential debate

America’s final presidential debate had <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/23/donald-trump-and-joe-biden-press-their-mute-buttons?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less noise and more substance</a>. But polls seem immovable and nearly 50m Americans have already voted; will the race change? South Korea’s population-boosting efforts have failed, so it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/south-korea-wants-mothers-to-work-to-bolster-the-labour-force?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">encouraging more women</a> into the workforce—and that will redress some long-standing inequalities. And crunching 70 years’ worth of Formula 1 data to find <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/17/engineers-not-racers-are-the-true-drivers-of-success-in-motor-sport?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the sport’s true greatest</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>

Pandemic power-grabs: autocrats’ covid opportunism

As it has with so many other trends, the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/17/the-pandemic-has-eroded-democracy-and-respect-for-human-rights?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hastened the decline</a> of democracy and human rights; covid-19 provides autocrats with perfect cover. The plummeting price for the cobalt that powers electronics has <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/17/in-congo-the-little-guys-are-jailed-for-stealing-minerals?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">upended lives</a> and driven crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/17/does-sound-like-light-have-a-maximum-speed?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how physicists found</a> an upper bound for the speed of sound. 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>

Secular-stand nation: terror in France

<p>The brutal murder of a schoolteacher comes amid warnings of mounting Islamism in the country. The attack <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/18/the-beheading-of-a-teacher-will-harden-frances-belief-in-secularism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will only harden</a> resolve for a secular society. Alexei Navalny, Russia’s opposition leader, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/17/an-interview-with-alexei-navalny-assassination-survivor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speaks with our correspondent</a> about the attempt on his life; it signals, he says, a regime in decline. And data <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/10/faith-in-government-declines-when-mobile-internet-arrives?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> how the arrival of mobile internet erodes faith in governments.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The persecution of a people: China’s repression of the Uyghurs

<p>Reporting by <em>The Economist</em> reveals deepening efforts by Chinese authorities not just to imprison the Muslim-minority people but also <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/17/the-persecution-of-the-uyghurs-is-a-crime-against-humanity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to reduce their number</a>, to wipe out their culture and <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/15/if-i-speak-out-they-will-torture-my-family-voices-of-uyghurs-in-exile?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to hound them</a> wherever in the world they may go. Yet a visit to Yunnan province reveals that the party’s hostility to ethnic minorities <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/10/pictographs-survive-in-a-chinese-tourist-town?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is not absolute</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>

Loved Labour’s won: landslide in New Zealand

After a term spent steering the country through crises, Jacinda Ardern has led her Labour party to <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/jacinda-arderns-quiet-competence-triumphs-in-new-zealand?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a thumping victory</a>; what will they do with their historic majority? Far from taking on water as the pandemic progresses, the shipping industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/10/how-covid-19-put-wind-in-shipping-companies-sails?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">steaming ahead</a>. And as museums sell off parts of their collections, we consider art’s value beyond the dollar signs. 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>

Más MAS? Bolivia’s election

<p>After last year’s vote was marred by fraud allegations, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/15/fresh-elections-and-perhaps-a-fresh-start-for-bolivia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the electorate is split</a> ahead of Sunday’s poll: will the country return the socialist MAS party of exiled leader Evo Morales to power? A private tutor to the rich and anxious <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/09/first-class-flights-chauffeurs-and-bribery-the-secret-life-of-a-private-tutor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveals the costs</a>—to students and tutors—of heightened academic pressure. And a new book yields a <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/10/for-he-will-consider-jeoffry-the-poets-cat?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cat’s-eye view</a> of 18th-century London.</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 close-it call: Nigeria’s uprising

<p>Angry protests following an alleged police killing continue, even after a hated police unit was shuttered. That exposes far-deeper discontent. Banks’ earnings this week show that belt-tightening earlier in the year has held them in good stead. What to do with the growing cash-pile? And misguided infrastructure plans have many Egyptians in a roads rage.</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>

Scared strait: Taiwan

<p>Rhetoric and sabre-rattling from mainland China are rapidly ramping up; we examine the risk of an invasion that would have <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/10/defending-taiwan-is-growing-costlier-and-deadlier?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">global consequences</a>. A decision by World Rugby to ban trans women from the women’s game <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/09/a-ban-by-world-rugby-could-prove-influential-for-transgender-sports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stokes</a> a notoriously ill-tempered debate. And listening to <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/10/01/making-music-from-the-sounds-of-endangered-british-birds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an album</a> built entirely from the songs of endangered British birds.</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>

Food chain broken: famine in Yemen

<p>The country yet again faces widespread starvation as a civil war grinds on, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/03/famine-in-yemen-need-not-happen?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">both sides are to blame</a> for the misery visited upon civilians. With the stroke of a pen, Argentina recently <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/10/argentina-doubles-in-size-or-so-it-claims?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">doubled in size</a>—setting a precedent with big diplomatic and resource-extraction implications. And remembering the man who <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/10/10/swami-agnivesh-died-on-september-11th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">set hundreds of thousands of Indians free </a>from indentured servitude.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

In their own Swede time: pandemic pragmatism

<p>By the numbers to date, Sweden's light-touch covid-19 measures may not seem successful. But its pragmatism takes an <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/10/the-real-lessons-from-swedens-approach-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instructively long view</a> of the pandemic. China’s high-level party machinery brooks no political dissent; among street-level functionaries, stories of disobedience and tolerance are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/03/to-buy-peace-officials-in-china-tolerate-some-forms-of-disobedience?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more nuanced</a>. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/10/a-new-device-may-help-stop-the-robbery-of-turtles-nests?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">devilishly clever way</a> to stem the poaching of endangered turtles’ eggs.</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>

Buy the way? Kyrgyzstan’s post-election chaos

Citizens are furious after a poll seemingly tainted by vote-buying; its annulment leaves a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/07/angry-kyrgyz-rebel-against-a-tainted-election-for-the-third-time?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">power vacuum</a> that may yet draw in China and Russia. An author’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/09/12/life-of-a-klansman-brings-the-past-out-of-the-closet?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">journey</a> through the history of America’s racist militias, including the Ku Klux Klan, starts with his own family tree. And why not everyone is happy with Europe’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/26/the-problem-of-the-eus-golden-passports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“golden passport” schemes</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>

More-civil discourse: Pence and Harris debate

<p>That a housefly could steal the show at America’s only vice-presidential debate is telling, but a discussion with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/08/mike-pence-v-kamala-harris-ends-in-a-normal-sort-of-a-draw?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more substance than bombast</a> was a welcome respite. Cuba is experiencing its worst food crisis in decades, and that at last <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/10/with-shop-shelves-bare-cuba-mulls-economic-reforms?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may spur changes</a> to its confused and market-distorting dual-currency system. And geopolitics <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/09/26/even-as-countries-peck-at-each-other-their-birdwatchers-co-operate?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sticks its beak</a> into an enormous annual bird migration.</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>

Clerical era: Iraq in a hard place

A pilgrimage that is sure to become a covid-19 hotspot is a sign of how much the country’s government is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/03/iraq-is-too-broken-to-protect-itself-from-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">losing legitimacy</a> to its clergymen and tribal leaders. Social-media giants’ efforts to scrub violent content from their platforms simultaneously <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/21/social-media-platforms-are-destroying-evidence-of-war-crimes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hobbles</a> efforts to bring war criminals to justice. And why south-west England <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/03/cornish-miners-hope-to-profit-from-the-shift-to-electric-cars?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may soon be reviving</a> its long-lost mining industry. 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>