The Intelligence from The Economist

<p>Links with China and allegations of surveillance have highlighted the threat that the social-media app may pose to national security. There is bipartisan support for some regulation—but could there be an <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/23/america-may-be-a-step-closer-to-banning-tiktok?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outright ban</a>? Britain’s courts are falling into <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/02/23/why-crumbling-courts-are-worsening-britains-trial-backlog?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disrepair</a>, delaying justice for thousands. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/09/quite-a-few-young-americans-plan-to-end-their-days-as-compost?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eco-friendly alternative</a> to traditional burials. </p><br><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p><br></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>

<p>The two regional rivals have negotiated a deal, ending a seven-year lapse in diplomatic ties. Elsewhere, though, Iran remains aggressive. We ask what to make of its <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/03/23/iran-wants-a-detente-with-its-neighbours-but-not-with-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">apparent inconsistency</a>. Geothermal is a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/14/in-america-climate-hawks-and-big-oil-alike-cheer-geothermal-energy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">viable renewable source</a>. What would it take for America to tap in? And, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2023/03/23/china-has-not-done-enough-to-halt-the-wildlife-trade" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">multibillion-dollar Chinese industry</a> being hit by a theory of covid-19’s origins</p><br><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p><br></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>

<p>After ten months of haggling, the military alliance is gaining <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/22/finland-has-turkeys-approval-and-can-at-last-join-nato?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new member</a>: Finland. We ask why a historically neutral country has switched tack, and what this means for Russia. How can multinationals <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/03/16/are-western-companies-becoming-less-global" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">navigate</a> an increasingly fragmented world? And how TikTok has spurred a <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/03/06/sales-of-romance-novels-are-rising-in-britain?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newfound love</a> for romantic novels in Britain.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to<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>

<p>Protests against proposed <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/16/will-bibi-break-israel?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">judicial reforms</a> have intensified. Could Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu succumb to the pressure at last? Pregnant Russians are flocking to countries with birthright citizenship; we ask why so many are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/03/14/why-russian-women-are-flying-to-argentina-to-give-birth?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">aiming for Argentina</a>. And a chat with our new co-host, Ore Ogunbiyi. </p><p>Get a free 30-day digital subscription to The Economist by going to <a href="http://economist.com/podcastoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">economist.com/podcastoffer</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>

<p><a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/22/how-the-iraq-war-became-a-threat-to-american-democracy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">America invaded Iraq</a> 20 years ago this week. Today Baghdad is bustling, violence across the country is less frequent, but these gains have come at a horrific cost. India is getting a huge, essential <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/13/india-is-getting-an-eye-wateringly-big-transport-upgrade?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">infrastructure upgrade</a>. And we say goodbye to one of our hosts.</p><br><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: 22 min</p><br><p><br></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>

<p><a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/22/central-banks-face-an-excruciating-trade-off?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Central banks</a> face a painful tradeoff: raise rates too quickly and risk banking-sector instability. Raise them too slowly and risk continued high inflation. Our correspondent travelled to Kyiv to meet a woman who has <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/23/meet-the-woman-who-is-saving-ukraines-wild-animals?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rescued</a> hundreds of wild animals. And reflecting on the legacy of a woman who changed British attitudes toward sex.</p><br><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>

<p><a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/20/emmanuel-macrons-government-survives-but-there-is-more-trouble-ahead?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emmanuel Macron</a> narrowly survived two no-confidence votes, sparked by his pushing a pension-reform package through the legislature without bringing it up for a vote. But his troubles are far from over. Covid and the war in Ukraine exacerbated Russia’s long-standing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/04/russias-population-nightmare-is-going-to-get-even-worse?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">demographic woes</a>. And we analyse the artistry of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/03/02/marcel-marceau-was-a-giant-of-an-underappreciated-art-form?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">world’s greatest mime</a>, born 100 years ago today.</p><br><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>

<p>Silicon Valley Bank. Signature Bank. Credit Suisse. The world’s banks look wobbly, leading to fears of broader economic pain. Our economics editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/16/whats-wrong-with-the-banks?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explains</a> how regulators should stabilise the sector. Russia is running out of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/02/27/how-quickly-can-russia-rebuild-its-tank-fleet?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tanks</a>; replenishing its supply will not be easy. And America has a new favourite <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/03/15/french-bulldogs-are-taking-over-america?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dog breed</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>The visit of Xi Jinping, China’s president, to Moscow may seem like the solidifying of a simple, anti-Western alliance. But China is walking <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/03/19/what-does-xi-jinping-want-from-vladimir-putin?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a delicate line</a> to look after its own interests. A growing minority of young people simply <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/02/16/throughout-the-rich-world-the-young-are-falling-out-of-love-with-cars?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">do not want</a> to drive; that will have consequences far beyond roadways. And research on colonising the Moon <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/03/15/pressurised-natural-caves-could-offer-a-home-from-home-on-the-moon?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">goes underground</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>The economics are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/02/saving-the-rainforests-would-be-a-bargain?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vastly outweigh</a> those of felling trees. We travel to the Amazon and find that the problem is largely down to <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/02/27/the-biggest-obstacle-to-saving-rainforests-is-lawlessness?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lawlessness</a> in the world’s rainforests. And reflecting on the life of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/03/16/oe-kenzaburo-was-made-a-writer-by-a-family-crisis?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oe Kenzaburo</a>, a Japanese writer shaped by family crisis who gave voice to the voiceless.</p><br><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>

<p>Proposed legislation that would <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/15/israels-proposed-legal-reforms-are-a-dreadful-answer-to-a-real-problem?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hobble the judiciary</a> has led to relentless demonstrations—and exposed a rift in Israeli society that has become dangerous to Binyamin Netanyahu and the country as a whole. Artificial intelligence is boosting online search, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/03/02/artificial-intelligence-is-reaching-behind-newspaper-paywalls?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bolstering publishers’ arguments</a> that search engines owe them a piece of the pie. And the reasons behind Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/03/02/britains-tomatoes-are-a-victim-of-the-energy-crisis?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tomato rationing</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>From today’s national budget to hardline <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/03/07/britains-new-plan-to-stop-the-boats?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">immigration legislation</a> to <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/09/25/aukus-reshapes-the-strategic-landscape-of-the-indo-pacific?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">international defence pacts</a>, Britain’s prime minister is working hard to extract his Tory party from a deep electoral hole. The Kremlin is trying to extend its reach into <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/16/a-portrait-of-the-russian-artist-in-the-age-of-z?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Russia’s cultural spaces</a>—but its incomplete success is telling. And a listen to the work of Brad Mehldau, perhaps today’s most eminent jazz pianist.</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>

<p>After internecine drama, the opposition-party alliance has <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/09/turkeys-opposition-has-picked-its-man?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">picked their man</a>. The bookish, mild-mannered Kemal Kilicdaroglu may be the best possible president, but also the worst possible candidate when Turkey’s democracy is flagging. We examine why a new UN high-seas treaty, decades in the making, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/03/08/why-a-new-un-treaty-to-safeguard-the-high-seas-matters?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is so significant</a>. And Thailand’s “Boys’ Love” gay TV dramas are an ever-growing <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/09/are-thailands-gay-tv-dramas-the-next-k-pop?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cultural export</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>An old-fashioned bank run has caused American regulators to intervene <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/03/13/americas-government-steps-in-to-protect-depositors-at-silicon-valley-bank?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in a big way</a> to save the bank’s depositors. We ask what went wrong, and what risks the fix will pose. Today America, Australia and Britain will cement <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/09/25/aukus-reshapes-the-strategic-landscape-of-the-indo-pacific?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a military alliance</a> designed to confront an increasingly assertive China. And an Ethiopian prince buried among English kings <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/23/how-an-ethiopian-prince-came-to-be-buried-at-windsor-castle?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reignites</a> questions about cultural restitution.</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>

<p>The world’s biggest military donor to Ukraine, relative to GDP, is Estonia. Kaja Kallas, its prime minister, just won a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/06/ukraines-most-committed-backer-wins-a-huge-election-victory-in-estonia?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resounding victory</a> in an election that was effectively a referendum on continued support for Ukraine. Why some <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/06/south-korea-has-a-plan-to-end-its-forced-labour-feud-with-japan?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">South Koreans</a> are unhappy at a deal to compensate citizens forced to work for Japanese companies. And looking back at the often painful life of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/03/09/justin-schmidt-made-a-lifetime-study-of-insects-that-attack-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">King of Sting</a>.</p><p><em>Additional audio taken from ReThinking with Adam Grant published by TED Audio Collective</em></p><br><p><br></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>

<p>The risk of a Sino-American war over <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2023/03/06/taiwan-is-a-vital-island-that-is-under-serious-threat?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Taiwan</a> appears to be growing. Our diplomatic editor assesses the frightening prospects and possible damage. <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/03/02/mexicos-government-has-attacked-the-countrys-electoral-watchdog?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mexicans</a> protest the weakening of the country’s independent elections agency. And why Connecticut has been exonerating those accused of <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/02/why-connecticut-is-exonerating-witches?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">witchcraft</a> nearly four centuries ago.</p><br><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>

<p>Economists and politicians around the world are consumed with one question: is the world headed for a recession, or a relatively soft landing? We’ll tell you what clues the <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/03/01/americas-property-market-suggests-recession-is-on-the-way?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American property market</a> offers. Why China’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/05/13/chinas-football-troubles-reflect-broader-issues-within-the-economy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">football team</a> can’t seem to find its feet. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/23/at-young-thugs-blockbuster-trial-rap-lyrics-are-used-as-evidence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rap lyrics</a> are increasingly treated as confessions of guilt in American courts.</p><br><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>

<p><a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/06/ukraine-is-building-up-its-forces-for-an-offensive?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ukraine</a> is using a torrent of Western arms and training to prepare for a spring offensive. We learn why being on a corporate board of directors—or recruiting for one—is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/23/demands-on-corporate-boards-are-more-intense-than-ever?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more difficult than ever</a>. And we ask why one particular <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/28/how-vivaldis-four-seasons-came-to-be-ubiquitous?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">composition of Vivaldi’s</a> has become ubiquitous.</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>

<p>A policy of ambiguity is swiftly shifting; the country is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/02/19/why-south-africa-is-drifting-into-the-sino-russian-orbit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">falling</a> into a Sino-Russian orbit at just the time it needs the most help from Western allies. How learning to <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/02/16/volunteers-teach-debating-skills-to-americas-incarcerated?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debate</a> can improve the lives of those inside and released from New York City’s biggest prison. And meeting a street artist who decorates the wreckage of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city.</p><br><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>

<p>A slump in tech is driving investors to <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/02/the-tech-slump-is-encouraging-venture-capital-to-rediscover-old-ways?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rediscover old ways</a>. Out are the cash-splashing long bets; in are smaller, profitable, strategic firms. Nigeria’s election was pitched as the most transparent ever. <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/03/01/bola-tinubu-nigerias-political-kingmaker-wins-a-flawed-election?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It was not</a>. We ask what is likely to happen now. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/23/the-rise-of-chilli-crisp-is-a-study-in-how-foods-become-fads?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">chilli crisp</a>, a Chinese condiment with a deep history, is a study in how foods become fads.</p><br><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>

<p>Shifts in the garment industry, which powered development in the country, represent one risk; meagre currency reserves are another. Yet nothing so <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/01/bangladeshs-economic-miracle-is-in-jeopardy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">imperils</a> Bangladesh’s economic miracle as graft and patronage at the highest levels. How does North Korea afford its flashy weapons programme? Crypto scams of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/22/north-korean-hackers-stole-a-record-17bn-of-crypto-last-year?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eye-watering scope</a>. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/02/20/a-bbc-monitoring-station-that-listened-in-on-the-world-is-being-sold?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newsmaking history</a> of BBC Monitoring’s radio translators.</p><br><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>

<p>The Belt and Road initiative to encircle much of the world with Chinese-funded, Chinese-built infrastructure is growing <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/02/22/xi-jinpings-next-overseas-lending-revolution?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">leaner and more penny-wise</a>. But its ambitions are undimmed. Energy-market turmoil has given a boost to the green transition—a boost that has come with <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/16/the-world-wont-decarbonise-fast-enough-unless-renewables-make-real-money?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hard truths</a> about the shift’s costs. And a television show about Jesus Christ becomes an <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/08/a-television-show-about-jesus-christ-has-become-an-unlikely-hit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely hit</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>Since Brexit’s earliest days, the trade status of Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland have been a perilous sticking point. We examine a deal that might—<a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/27/the-new-brexit-deal-is-the-best-britain-can-expect-support-it?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">and should</a>—resolve matters at last. Our correspondent looks at all the plush office space being converted into <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/02/09/city-centres-from-offices-to-family-homes?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">family homes</a>. And an obituary for the ruined city of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/02/23/gradually-the-besieged-city-of-bakhmut-is-being-abandoned-by-everyone?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bakhmut</a> in eastern Ukraine.</p><br><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><br><p><br></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>

<p>Excitement still surrounds the spoiler candidate <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/16/nigeria-desperately-needs-a-new-kind-of-leadership?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Peter Obi</a>, whose down-to-earth ways appeal to a large constituency of fed-up youths. We look at the early returns. A year ago Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, announced a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/23/a-year-on-olaf-scholzs-promise-of-transformation-is-only-partly-kept?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tremendous shift</a> in defence policy and funding; we ask how far the warship has turned since then. And remembering Queen Elizabeth I’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/16/william-byrd-was-a-favourite-composer-of-elizabeth-i?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">favourite composer</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>After a year of a conflict that was predicted to last just days, we examine the battle lines—seeing an <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/23/russias-vaunted-second-offensive-is-a-damp-squib?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">opportunity for Ukraine</a> that may not come around again. We look at the strains on <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/02/20/the-invasion-has-stalled-but-putins-war-on-dissent-marches-on?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Russian civil society</a> by speaking with self-exiled citizens. And one Ukrainian woman who returned to Kharkiv tells us how the war has changed her.</p><br><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>

<p>Markets seem to think the worst is over; central bankers are <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/16/inflation-will-be-harder-to-bring-down-than-markets-think?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">not so sure</a>. We ask why determining the trajectory of inflation is so difficult. Millions of refugees have poured out of Ukraine since the war began; their <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2023/02/22/ukrainian-refugees-remain-in-limbo?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">uncertain futures</a> make setting up home tricky—for them and their host countries’ governments. And how technology is <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/02/02/the-sport-of-ice-fishing-is-being-transformed-by-technology?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transforming</a> the sport of ice fishing.</p><br><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>

<p>President Joe Biden’s riposte to <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/21/vladimir-putin-pulls-russia-out-of-its-last-nuclear-arms-control-treaty?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the bellicose speech</a> of his counterpart Vladimir Putin was a study in contrast. We examine their views on Ukraine and ask how a lasting peace could be secured. We speak with an exiled Chinese blogger trying to get the truth about that conflict into his homeland. And why the young are <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/09/japanese-workers-are-seeking-higher-wages-overseas?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">leaving Japan</a> to seek greater fortunes abroad.</p><br><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>

<p>Particulate matter is shortening lives and hobbling economies in the region. We ask how policy changes and international collaboration could mitigate the suffering as <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/13/india-and-pakistan-are-choking-on-each-others-pollution?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the pollution spreads</a>. Our correspondent meets with two Russian men who, fearing being drafted, made a <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/01/23/the-russian-draft-dodgers-who-fled-to-alaska-in-a-dinghy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hair-raising journey</a> by dinghy from their homeland’s far east. And why Seventh Day Adventists seem to <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/02/19/christian-californians-may-have-a-solution-to-americas-obesity?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">live longer lives</a>. </p><br><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>

<p>The country’s war-torn north-west has been getting far less aid than it needs in the earthquakes’ aftermath. We investigate <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/02/16/bashar-al-assad-does-not-want-to-let-a-calamity-go-to-waste?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the dilemma</a> of lifting long-running international sanctions. Housing prices are slipping across the rich world, but South Korea’s unusual property market makes that slide <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/02/09/south-koreas-housing-crunch-offers-a-warning-for-other-countries?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more perilous</a>. And what three decades’-worth of data reveal about <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/02/03/max-martin-knows-how-to-create-a-number-one-hit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crafting a pop hit</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>Charitable giving is <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/02/09/how-a-tide-of-tech-money-is-transforming-charity?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">being disrupted</a> by the same youthful tech folk who got rich disrupting other sectors: these days it is fast, data-driven and bureaucracy-light. We meet a <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/08/04/inside-trading-how-prisoners-in-america-got-into-stocks?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new class of investors</a> who trade shares from behind bars. And reflecting on the life of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/02/16/maya-widmaier-picasso-helped-to-revive-her-fathers-creativity?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maya Widmaier-Picasso</a>, who spent her childhood painting alongside her father, becoming an expert on his work.</p><br><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>

<p>Nicola Sturgeon is bowing out after shaping a party that has defined itself on the notion of Scottish independence. <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/15/nicola-sturgeons-resignation-is-part-of-britains-great-moderation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What now</a> for Scotland and for Britain more broadly? Our correspondent says that France’s protests against pension reform are about <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/06/why-france-is-arguing-about-work-and-the-right-to-be-lazy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more</a> than the stereotype of being workshy. And the surprising information spies could gather from your home’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/01/25/wi-fi-signals-could-prove-useful-for-spies?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wi-Fi router</a>.</p><br><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><br></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>

<p>Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and UN ambassador, has <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/02/14/nikki-haleys-bid-illustrates-the-problems-of-the-republican-party?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">declared</a> her 2024 presidential candidacy. We assess her chances and survey the field. Intimidation and financial pressure are <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/13/the-arab-worlds-rulers-have-turned-journalists-into-courtiers?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">quashing journalism</a> in the Arab world. And a new film <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/08/eo-imagines-what-it-means-to-be-a-donkey?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tenderly imagines</a> what it means to be a donkey.</p><br><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>

<p>The petrostates of the Gulf are modernising their economies, growing more tolerant and liberalising their <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/09/arab-petrostates-must-prepare-their-citizens-for-a-post-oil-future?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social contracts</a> as they prepare for a world run on fewer hydrocarbons—but who will be left behind? A <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/02/chinas-byd-is-overtaking-tesla-as-the-carmaker-extraordinaire?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chinese maker</a> of electric vehicles prepares to steal a march on Tesla. And a look at Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/01/30/britains-newest-islets-are-made-of-wet-wipes?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newest islands</a> reveals they are made of wet wipes.</p><br><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><br></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>

<p>Our correspondent visits town after devastated town. Poorly enforced building codes are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/02/12/turkeys-earthquakes-show-the-deadly-extent-of-construction-scams?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one clear factor</a> in the rising death toll—and a political backlash looms. Britain’s productivity problem is at least partly a problem with bad managers; we look at the substantial <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/01/31/for-britain-to-grow-faster-it-needs-better-managers?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gains to be had</a> from better-run companies. And the valuable data to come from an ambitious, national-scale <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/01/25/how-to-conduct-a-sex-survey?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sex survey</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>Young voters are fired up and the electoral system has been strengthened, but Nigeria’s challenges are considerable. We explore why <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/02/02/nigerias-presidential-race-goes-down-to-the-wire?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this month’s vote</a> offers an opportunity to turn the country around. Our correspondent says that China’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/01/02/what-the-great-reopening-means-for-china-and-the-world?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">economic reopening</a> may have limited effects outside China. And why some psychotherapists object to how films and TV shows <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/01/31/a-wave-of-films-and-television-shows-is-exploring-psychotherapy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">portray</a> their work.</p><br><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>

<p>America’s Congress may be gridlocked, but its <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/01/24/congress-is-gridlocked-americas-statehouses-are-very-much-not?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">state legislatures </a>certainly aren’t. The laws they’ll pass this year will probably impact more people more directly than anything Congress does, with just a fraction of the public attention. Why things are looking up for <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/02/things-are-looking-up-for-meta?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meta</a>. And reflecting on the legacy and achievements of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/05/pervez-musharraf-was-one-of-pakistans-better-dictators?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pervez Musharraf</a>, Pakistan’s former president.</p><br><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><br><p><br></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>

<p>The race for <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/30/the-race-of-the-ai-labs-heats-up%20?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AI supremacy</a> is on. Microsoft, Google, Baidu and a host of smaller firms are all placing bets on the technology’s future. Which version emerges on top may well determine how people find information online for decades to come. <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/01/19/the-rise-of-the-uber-luxurious-office?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luxury offices</a> are a bright spot in the commercial real-estate doldrums. And why inflation is stalking Europe’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/01/27/europes-next-inflation-victim-sugary-treats?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sweet treats</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>Amid unthinkable <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/02/06/massive-earthquakes-in-turkey-and-northern-syria-kill-thousands?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">destruction and loss of life</a>, we examine the factors that will frustrate relief efforts following earthquakes in an already troubled region. As President Joe Biden prepares to welcome a new chief of staff, we speak with the author who literally wrote the book on America’s second-most-powerful government job. And Argentina’s newest musical export <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/01/26/a-new-generation-of-argentine-musicians-is-topping-the-charts?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">repurposes</a> an American genre born three decades ago.</p><br><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>

<p>American fighters shot down a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/04/the-sino-american-rivalry-needs-guardrails-to-contain-small-incidents?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">balloon</a> that China says was monitoring the weather, but America insists was spying. It was a minor incident, but it highlights the relationship of a great-power rivalry with inadequate guardrails. Our correspondent visits a market in Mumbai to see what might be lost as India’s economy <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/01/05/imagine-an-india-without-hawkers?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">formalises</a>.  And some surprising—and worrying—data puncturing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/01/26/france-sees-a-surprising-surge-in-obesity?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the myth</a> about the skinny French.</p><br><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>

<p>As part of <em>The Economist</em>’s new series on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/02/02/joe-bidens-effort-to-remake-the-economy-is-ambitious-risky-and-selfish?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remaking of the country's economy</a>, our correspondent looks at the Biden administration’s audacious industrial plans. Russia’s media outlets have been relentlessly squeezed, so many have set up newsrooms in exile; we examine the rise of “<a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/11/22/how-offshore-journalists-challenge-vladimir-putins-empire-of-lies?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offshore journalism</a>”. And reflecting on the life of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/02/02/gina-lollobrigidas-ambition-was-her-strength-and-her-weakness?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gina Lollobrigida</a>, a remarkable, irrepressible, impenitent Italian actress.</p><br><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>

<p>The country remains <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/01/30/political-turmoil-is-tearing-peru-apart?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">riven by unrest</a> since the “self-coup” and subsequent arrest of its president in December; only an early election might bring a return to calm. Our correspondent goes shopping to discover the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/16/how-the-young-spend-their-money?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spending habits</a> of Generation Z and millennials. And examining the work of Tom Lehrer, a mathematician who was an <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/01/30/tom-lehrer-was-midwife-at-the-birth-of-modern-satire?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely midwife</a> at the birth of modern satire.</p><br><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><br></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>

<p>The Adani Group, one of India’s biggest conglomerates, has come under fire from a tiny American research firm. A successful secondary share sale amid a rout in the markets leaves <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/01/31/nagging-questions-over-the-adani-empire-wont-go-away?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">many questions</a>—and proves revealing about India Inc. Our correspondent explains why Mexico is so <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/19/mexicos-electric-car-ambitions?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">well-placed</a> to navigate the electric-vehicle transition. And the unlikely rise of <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/01/12/how-rappers-are-strengthening-donald-trumps-movement?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MAGA rap artists</a>.</p><br><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>

<p>Fixing the complex, creaking pension system remains central to President Emmanuel Macron’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/01/10/emmanuel-macron-unveils-his-pension-reforms?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">agenda of reforms</a>. But leaving it alone is central to French identity—so workers are striking, again, in huge numbers. Our correspondent lays out why 2023’s first earnings season is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/22/big-business-is-in-for-a-rough-earnings-season?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so gloomy</a>. And America is providing more <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/01/12/polyamory-is-getting-slivers-of-legal-recognition-in-america?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">legal protections</a> for polyamorous “throuples”.</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>

<p>The response to the death of the 29-year-old has differed from that of previous cases of police killings; we ask what the tragedy indicates about how America deals with police violence. Our correspondent says a lawmaker’s murder in Afghanistan highlights the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/01/19/a-murder-in-afghanistan-highlights-the-misery-of-women?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">misery of women</a> under the Taliban. And why a decades-old model of animal and human learning is <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/01/18/a-decades-old-model-of-animal-and-human-learning-is-under-fire?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">under fire</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>

<p>South Africa’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/01/19/south-africas-collapsing-railway-company-is-a-cautionary-tale?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">infrastructure</a>—its ports, railways and power grid—are struggling and poorly managed. Ordinary South Africans are increasingly fed up. We <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/01/16/who-is-valery-gerasimov-russias-latest-commander-in-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">profile</a> Russia’s new military commander in Ukraine. And our obituaries editor remembers one of Britain’s finest rural writers.</p><br><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>

<p>Israel’s right-wing coalition government has the country’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/16/binyamin-netanyahu-rushes-to-take-on-israels-supreme-court?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">supreme court </a>in its sights. Their proposal to effectively subjugate its independence to the legislature has sparked protests and stirred concern for the country’s democracy. Our correspondent reports from a newly reopened <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/01/20/china-wants-to-move-on-from-covid-in-shanghai-i-see-the-ghosts-of-lockdown-everywhere?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shanghai</a>. And how <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/01/17/how-gas-stoves-became-part-of-americas-culture-wars?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gas stoves </a>became the latest battleground in America’s endless culture wars.</p><br><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><br></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>

<p>After months of foot-dragging, Germany is sending <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/01/22/what-western-armour-gives-ukraine-in-the-next-round-of-the-war?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tanks</a> to Ukraine, with America poised to follow suit. We examine how that could reshape the battlefield. Why <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/05/sudans-troubled-east-is-a-microcosm-of-a-wider-crisis?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sudan’s</a> democratic transition has stalled and its economy is struggling. And we reveal the secret to perfectly cooked <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/01/09/the-quest-for-the-perfect-chip?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">chips</a>.</p><br><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>

Around one-fifth of Ukraine’s population has fled. The country’s GDP has plummeted and foreign investors are staying away. Even as the fighting rages, the world has already begun thinking about how to <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/11/08/donors-are-already-mulling-a-marshall-plan-for-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rebuild the country</a>. How a 36-year-old treaty helped heal the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/01/14/how-humans-healed-the-ozone-layer?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ozone layer</a>. And why the pandemic did not lead to a wave of job-killing <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/12/20/the-pandemic-and-the-triumph-of-the-luddites?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">automation</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>

<p>Jacinda Ardern <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/01/19/jacinda-ardern-resigns-as-new-zealands-prime-minister?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resigned</a> as New Zealand’s prime minister last week. As Chris Hipkins prepares to take over, we reflect on Ms Ardern’s legacy, and look at the challenges her successor inherits. What the world’s plethora of <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/01/16/the-glory-of-grandparents?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">grandparents</a> means for families. And which issues currently <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/01/13/americas-far-right-is-increasingly-protesting-against-lgbt-people?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">motivate </a>America’s far-right.</p><br><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>

<p>The global elite’s annual Alpine jamboree may have lost some of its convening power, our editor-in-chief says, but the many encounters it enables still have enormous <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/22b880633e6c3b3c7bccc56c59ff11b9?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">value</a>. Our correspondent considers what the closing of Noma, a legendary Danish restaurant, means for the world of fine dining. And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/01/19/adolfo-kaminsky-saved-thousands-of-jews-by-changing-their-identities?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adolfo Kaminsky</a>, whose expertly forged documents saved thousands of Jews’ lives. </p><br><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>