The Intelligence from The Economist

When the Taliban resumed power, there were hopes that women might not be as excluded, repressed and abused as they were previously. Those hopes <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/02/the-taliban-are-pushing-females-out-of-public-life?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">have faded</a>. As smartphone sales plateau, tech giants are furiously searching for new platforms to conquer. Augmented and virtual reality are the new <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2022/04/09/from-apple-to-google-big-tech-is-building-vr-and-ar-headsets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">battlefields</a>. And the rise of giga-everything: how the scale of science <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/04/09/as-the-scale-of-science-expands-so-does-the-language-of-prefixes?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">drives</a> linguistic innovation. 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>

<p>A ceasefire agreed weeks ago should have mitigated the suffering of starving Ethiopians <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/13/ethnic-cleansing-of-tigrayans-may-prolong-ethiopias-civil-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">caught up in war</a>; we ask why so little aid has got through. Rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure and economy will require <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/04/16/what-will-it-cost-to-rebuild-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">staggering sums</a>—and a vast, international plan of action. And South Africa’s lockdown-era alcohol bans had a curious knock-on effect: crippling <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/16/why-south-africa-is-running-out-of-marmite" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shortages</a> of a beloved yeasty goo.</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>Police have served Britain’s prime minister, among others, with a fine for breaching the lockdown rules he instituted. He may yet again emerge unscathed, but Britain’s politics is <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/boris-johnson-broke-his-own-lockdown-rules/21808734?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">damaged nonetheless</a>. Florida’s natural environment has made it one of America’s fastest-growing states, yet environmental challenges represent its <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2022/03/30/florida-faces-a-triple-threat-to-its-environment?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">biggest long-term challenge</a>. And Ukraine’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/ukraines-most-famous-rock-star-is-singing-for-victory/21808451?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">most famous rock star</a> joins the war effort.</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>Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva left office with a sky-high approval rating, having raised millions from poverty—but was then convicted of corruption. <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/04/09/hailed-as-a-saviour-derided-as-a-thief-lula-is-back" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Now</a> he wants his old job back. Forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields, once widespread, is swiftly <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/05/uzbekistan-has-succeeded-in-abolishing-forced-labour" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vanishing</a>. And an old hypothesis confirmed: <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/songbirds-get-more-colourful-the-closer-they-live-to-the-equator/21808592" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">birds</a> get more colourful the closer they live to the equator.</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>President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen of the nationalist-populist National Rally party will advance to a run-off; in the continuation of <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2022/04/09/frances-election-could-be-a-cautionary-tale-for-centrists-everywhere-our-special-series-on-the-race" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our series</a>, we ask what to expect in an <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/10/emmanuel-macron-will-battle-marine-le-pen-for-the-french-presidency?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">unexpectedly tight race</a>. Russian military communications have proven <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/28/why-russian-radios-ukraine-war-intercepted-heavy-metal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">easy to intercept</a>, leading to poor co-ordination and heavy battlefield losses. And South Korea’s millennials are <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/02/south-korean-millennials-battle-to-get-hold-of-pokemon-snacks?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">frantically hunting</a> for Pokémon-themed snacks.</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 first round of the presidential election is on Sunday and our first-ever series has been following the race closely. This compendium of the first six dispatches looks at the candidates, their platforms and the sharply shifting political landscape in France. </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>

Through ineptitude and bad timing, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa—known as Gota—has driven his country toward ruin. Its people <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/sri-lankas-economic-crisis-has-created-a-political-one/21808595?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">want him out</a>. Russian forces have occupied <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/ordinary-ukrainians-are-resisting-vladimir-putins-occupying-force-in-kherson-and-elsewhere/21808101" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kherson</a> since early March. We hear a report from the ground about life under foreign occupation. And tasting awamori, a Japanese spirit that distillers may lift from the doldrums simply by <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/19/distillers-in-okinawa-are-trying-to-reinvent-the-local-firewater?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">watering it down</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>

Russian troops have withdrawn from suburban Kyiv to focus on the eastern Donbas region. With Western weapons for Ukraine flowing in, a grinding war of attrition looms. For our French-election series we meet members of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which has <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/france-2022?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">found success</a> by shifting the focus away from its extremist image. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/26/a-guide-to-renamed-cities?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 bid</a> to rename Turkey will be so fraught. 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>

China’s zero-covid policy is being <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/what-shanghai-lockdowns-mean-for-china-inc/21808450?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">stretched</a> to breaking point as the virus makes its way through the city. Supplies are low, residents are angry and there is no end in sight. The debate about air conditioning in America’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/03/19/debate-over-air-conditioning-in-american-prisons-will-heat-up?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">sweltering prisons</a> will only heat up further. And how a dispute about time from exactly a century ago remains timely today. Additional audio provided courtesy of Matthew Florianz. 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>

Our correspondent reports from towns around Kyiv, where Russian forces appear to have committed <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/03/retreating-russian-troops-leave-behind-harrowing-evidence-of-atrocities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">war crimes</a>, including summary executions and random murders. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/04/04/a-new-ipcc-report-says-the-window-to-meet-un-climate-targets-is-vanishing?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">last instalment</a> of a once-in-a-decade climate report suggests that meeting the more ambitious temperature goals set in Paris requires a “handbrake turn” on global emissions. And why Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/03/26/machines-are-once-again-doing-the-car-washing-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">car washes</a> are a rare example of “re-automation”. 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>

Prime Minister Imran Khan seems to be trying everything to avoid an ouster. The powerful military brass may simply want a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/04/01/who-is-shehbaz-sharif-pakistans-opposition-leader?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 leader</a> who is less hostile to the West. Calls for tough sanctions on Russian oil are multiplying. But demand for it has already plummeted—and China and India <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/what-can-russia-do-to-sell-its-unwanted-oil/21808447?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">sniff a bargain</a>. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/invasion-of-the-earthworms/21808464?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">earthworm invasion</a> beneath North America’s soil. 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>

<p>Viktor Orban’s eight-year assault on the country’s institutions will help his bid for re-election. But the poll is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/02/hungarys-opposition-struggles-to-beat-viktor-orbans-stealth-autocracy?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 bigger</a> than Hungary: it is a verdict on autocracies everywhere. Britain welcomes the fees from its staggering number of Chinese university students; we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/03/12/chinese-money-is-pouring-into-british-universities?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">risks</a> that dependence poses. And a prescient Ukrainian <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/21/atlantis-envisaged-the-aftermath-of-a-russia-ukraine-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">war film</a> gets a new lease on life.</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 Russia invaded Ukraine, Western businesses pulled out and governments imposed punishing sanctions. But <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/03/30/under-unprecedented-sanctions-how-is-the-russian-economy-faring" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Russia’s economy</a> is proving surprisingly resilient. In the instalment of our French election series, we travel to Provence to better understand <a href="https://www.economist.com/french-election-2022?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 campaign</a> of the hard-right candidate Eric Zemmour, who has tapped into and stoked anti-Muslim sentiment. And why Lebanon’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/03/26/plastic-surgeons-make-a-bundle-despite-lebanons-economic-crisis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">plastic surgeons</a> are thriving amid an economic mess.</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>It appears that Russian forces are withdrawing from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to focus on the eastern region of Donbas. We examine what the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/28/russia-says-it-is-changing-its-war-aims-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">shifting tactics</a> signify. A court in Singapore has refused to strike a colonial-era <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/05/singapores-high-court-retains-an-anti-gay-law?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">anti-gay law</a> from its books, despite the fact it is never enforced; we ask why. And what’s behind Bolivia’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/05/bolivia-is-awash-with-contraband-cars-from-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">preponderance</a> of contraband Japanese cars.</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>Negotiators are again meeting face-to-face, this time in Istanbul. There is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/23/ukraines-government-is-willing-to-make-big-concessions-to-end-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">little hope</a> of reaching an agreement at this stage—and even less that it would be adhered to. The metal cages appearing atop Russian tanks are intended to counteract anti-tank munitions; in practice their biggest effects seem to be <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/russian-tanks-in-ukraine-are-sprouting-cages/21808191?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">psychological</a>. And the extraordinary <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/03/24/parts-of-antarctica-have-been-40degc-warmer-than-their-march-average?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">heatwave</a> hitting the Antarctic.</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>Our editors traverse layers of security to reach the situation room where Ukraine’s president is so often seen addressing the world. <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/volodymyr-zelensky-on-why-ukraine-must-defeat-putin/21808448?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">They ask</a> about his decision to stay in Kyiv, which countries are proving most helpful and whether he always had all those green clothes. They find a man who speaks of determination and honesty, and whose sense of humour remains remarkably <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/27/in-the-war-room-with-volodymyr-zelensky?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">undimmed</a>.</p><p>Find an edited transcript of the interview <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/27/volodymyr-zelensky-in-his-own-words?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">here</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>

For the past month, one of our editors has spoken daily with a young man in <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/21/like-the-middle-ages-only-with-bombs-inside-the-sieges-of-mariupol-and-kharkiv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kharkiv</a>. Today he discusses his family's decision to leave their hometown for somewhere safer. <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/25/joe-biden-nominates-ketanji-brown-jackson-to-the-supreme-court" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>, President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, faced questioning this week from a Senate Committee. And we look back at <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/23/the-oscars-the-trickiest-gig-in-showbusiness" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oscars hosts</a> gone by. <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>

For weeks, Russian forces have besieged the Ukrainian port city of <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/21/hundreds-of-thousands-face-catastrophe-in-mariupol" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mariupol</a>. Up to 90% of its structures have been destroyed, and while thousands have fled, plenty remain--without food, water, medicine or electricity. Najib Razak, once Malaysia’s prime minister, left office embroiled in scandal. Now <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/19/malaysias-disgraced-former-prime-minister-is-popular-again" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">he’s back</a> on the campaign trail. And Oman has set <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/03/12/why-omanis-are-required-to-dress-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strict sartorial standards</a> around the dishdasha, its national dress. <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 href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/05/02/ive-mortally-offended-putin-by-surviving-why-alexei-navalny-keeps-fighting" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexei Navalny</a> returned to Russia after being poisoned in an assassination attempt that many believe came from the Kremlin. He was immediately arrested, and yesterday his prison sentence was extended for nine years. But if Vladimir Putin hopes that ends his influence, he may be mistaken. The world has <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/disavow-some-russian-artists-dont-cancel-russian-art/21808190" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">turned against</a> Russian artists. And a new exhibition explores <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/19/african-americans-have-shaped-american-cuisine-in-surprising-ways" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">African-American contributions</a> to the American table. <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>Joe Biden, among others, has called Vladimir Putin “a war criminal.” International tribunals have tried and convicted war criminals from Rwanda and Serbia: will Russia’s president <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/21/could-vladimir-putin-be-prosecuted-by-a-nuremberg-style-tribunal?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">suffer the same fate</a>? The war in Ukraine will disrupt the world’s wheat market, with potentially <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/how-the-invasion-of-ukraine-will-spread-hunger-in-the-middle-east-and-africa/21808072?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">grave political consequence</a>s in the Middle East. And three public-works projects in Mexico are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/19/mexicos-new-megaprojects-may-do-more-harm-than-good?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">stirring controversy</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>

Russian forces advancing on Kyiv have stalled. Ukraine has refused the demand to surrender Mariupol. But it’s not just Russian regular troops fighting: we look at Russia’s use of mercenaries. Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius, and is now facing the wrath of China. And included in the exodus of Ukrainians are plenty of four-legged companions. 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>

For decades, Germany was doctrinally pacifist: a legacy left over from the second world war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/19/a-risk-averse-germany-enters-an-age-of-confrontation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changed</a> that, seemingly overnight. As Russia’s military advance has stalled, it has turned its firepower against civilian targets, resulting in widespread death, but also in the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/19/vladimir-putins-war-endangers-ukraines-cultural-heritage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">destruction</a> of Ukraine’s cultural legacy. And remembering one of the many brave, ordinary Ukrainians, fallen in defence of their country. <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>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed global prices, which were already climbing, even higher. As America’s central bank raises its target interest rate for the first time in four years, we break down the challenges facing central bankers. In the fourth instalment of our French election series, we look at how the conflict has changed the race. And Russia’s seizure of the Chernobyl nuclear plant ends three decades of scientific research.</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>China appears content to let the carnage continue in Ukraine, anticipating a win for Vladimir Putin. Its <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/03/12/xi-jinping-places-a-bet-on-russia?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">real concern</a> is avoiding an apparent win for America and the West. Never mind fears that cryptocurrencies might help Russia dodge sanctions: they are <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/why-crypto-is-unlikely-to-be-useful-for-sanctions-dodgers/21808188?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 better</a> at helping to finance Ukraine’s efforts. And the cyborg cockroaches that may one day aid search-and-rescue operations.</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>Our correspondent finds Ukraine's capital already accustomed to an eerie war footing. People are getting married and playing music, even as medicine <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/03/in-a-hospital-basement-in-kyiv-medics-work-through-the-shelling?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">runs out</a> and a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/10/kyivs-volunteers-prepare-a-reception-for-the-russians?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 volunteer army</a> braces for fighting. Australia’s barely fathomable floods show freakish weather is becoming <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/10/australia-is-battered-by-catastrophic-floods?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">increasingly common</a> there. And the case for reforming <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/12/rules-for-teaching-grammar-in-schools?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">how grammar is taught</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>

To the west, strikes near Poland have rattled NATO partners. But look to the south-east to see <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/13/the-dire-fate-of-mariupol-is-a-warning-to-other-ukrainian-cities?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">what Russia intends</a> for the Ukrainian cities it encircles. Chile’s new president Gabriel Boric is just the latest leftist to take office in the region; we examine the “<a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/12/a-new-group-of-left-wing-presidents-takes-over-in-latin-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">pink tide</a>” that is coming in. And why British retail workers are sporting <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/03/12/body-cameras-are-moving-into-british-retail?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">body cameras</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>

We tackle some of the many questions on the war in Ukraine that listeners sent in this week—why no-fly zones are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/02/what-is-a-no-fly-zone?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 perilous idea</a>, how weapons are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/02/how-western-governments-are-getting-military-gear-into-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">making their way</a> into Ukraine, why mud is a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/07/will-ukraines-muddy-ground-halt-russian-tanks?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">growing tactical concern</a>, the implications of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/26/if-the-supply-of-russian-gas-to-europe-were-cut-off-could-lng-plug-the-gap?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">oil-and-gas embargoes</a> and much more. 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>

<p>Perched at Russia’s north-western corner, the country has plenty of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/11/what-is-finlandisation?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">history</a> dealing with neighbourly aggression. We speak with Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister, about his views on European security. After a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/05/south-koreas-presidential-election-springs-a-last-minute-surprise?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">nasty campaign season</a>, South Korea has a new president, Yoon Suk-Yeol. We examine the myriad challenges he faces. And how to spot Parkinson’s disease early—with <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/an-artificial-nose-may-be-able-to-detect-parkinsons-disease-early/21808079?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">an electronic nose</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>

After failing to take Ukraine’s second city, Russian forces continue to <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2022/03/08/curious-case-russias-missing-air-force?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">pummel</a> it with air, artillery and missile strikes. We speak again with an increasingly despondent Kharkiv native. Many schoolyard games have deep histories, conveying culture down the generations; these days they are <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/04/covid-19-has-given-children-new-words-and-ideas-to-play-with?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">adapting</a> to the pandemic era. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/26/mexico-revives-a-tradition-of-painting-murals-with-a-purpose?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">revival</a> of Mexico’s murals with a purpose. 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>

<p>With the propaganda machine at fever pitch, not everyone in Russia agrees on—<a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/03/05/vladimir-putins-invasion-of-ukraine-is-wrecking-two-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">much less agrees with</a>—what is going on in Ukraine. Dissent is being met with increasing repression. A wave of jihadism is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/24/west-africas-coastal-states-are-bracing-for-a-jihadist-storm?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">crashing</a> across the states of West Africa and the battle lines are moving south. And reasons for both hope and concern in our annual <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/glass-ceiling-index?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">glass-ceiling index</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>The West’s co-ordinated financial weaponry is starting to bite, opening a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/a-new-age-of-economic-conflict/21807968?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 age of economic conflict</a>; once-unthinkable oil embargoes seem now to be on the table. Taiwan is another democratic country with a big, bullying neighbour; we examine how the war has <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/05/ukraine-has-changed-how-taiwanese-see-themselves?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">sparked introspection</a>. And celebrating Pier Paolo Pasolini, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/03/on-his-centenary-pier-paolo-pasolini-remains-misunderstood?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">polymathic auteur</a> unjustly known only for his most controversial film.</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>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/05/a-new-refugee-crisis-has-come-to-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">refugee crisis</a> in Europe. More than a million people have left; millions more could follow. Turkey’s reasonably stable relationship with Russia <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/24/turkeys-rapprochement-with-russia-may-not-survive-the-war-in-ukraine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may not survive</a> the war. And remembering a champion of<a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2022/03/05/cristina-calderon-was-the-only-full-blooded-member-of-her-people" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Yaghan language and culture</a>, at South America’s southernmost tip. </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 new report shows that <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/the-latest-un-climate-report-is-gloomy-with-some-sunny-patches/21807952" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">climate change</a> is already causing widespread, tangible damage, and argues that adaptation is now as important as mitigation. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/19/meet-valerie-pecresse-the-french-centre-right-hopeful" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">once-promising candidate </a>for the French presidency sees her campaign sputter. And why America needs to shore up the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/17/long-queues-are-the-least-of-the-us-postal-services-problems" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">postal service’s finances</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>

After backing Russia’s grievances against NATO, China now finds itself treading a <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/02/26/xi-jinping-drew-closer-to-russia-on-the-eve-of-war-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">very fine line</a> on Ukraine. There are often reasons to be suspicious of a country’s covid-death tally; we examine research showing how fraud <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/02/25/are-some-countries-faking-their-covid-19-death-counts?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">can be spotted</a> mathematically. And why women are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/18/why-women-are-less-likely-to-be-corrupt-than-men?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">less likely</a> than men to be corrupt. 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>

<p>The levelling of Freedom Square in Ukraine’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/28/-rocket-attacks-on-civilians-in-kharkiv-take-the-war-into-a-new-phase?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">second city</a> is powerfully symbolic. One resident has been speaking to us daily since the invasion began. In the American West, minerals crucial to a clean-energy transition abound. We examine the opposition to a looming new <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/the-energy-transition-is-sparking-americas-next-mining-boom/21807704?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">mining boom</a>. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/19/in-the-fickle-world-of-restaurants-sticking-to-a-vision-takes-guts?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">revealing meal</a> with our food columnist: we have big news about “The Intelligence”.</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>On the ground, Ukrainian resistance is holding—so far—and Vladimir Putin’s nuclear posturing <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/02/27/vladimir-putins-nuclear-threat-shows-how-much-is-going-wrong-for-him-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">reveals</a> a crumbling of his plans. Meanwhile the international response grows more serious and more united. We examine President Joe Biden’s savvy Supreme Court pick, <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/25/joe-biden-nominates-ketanji-brown-jackson-to-the-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">Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>. And how to get around the fact that <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/eyewitness-evidence-is-more-reliable-than-has-been-thought/21807826?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">eyewitness testimony</a> can be fuzzy or change over time. </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>As promised, Ukraine’s forces are fighting back tenaciously against a Russian invasion on <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/24/russian-ground-forces-are-advancing-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">multiple fronts</a>—but Kyiv, the capital, is now squarely in the invaders’ sights. In England, the last covid restrictions were <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/02/25/englands-coronavirus-regulations-are-no-more?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">lifted entirely</a> this week; we consider the calculations many leaders are making in this phase of the pandemic. And an assessment of romantic comedies as a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/14/a-new-oral-history-of-the-modern-romantic-comedy?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 force</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>

Ukrainians woke to the sound of sirens. Volleys of cruise missiles, artillery, widespread reports of explosions: a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/24/russia-invades-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">large-scale invasion</a> appears to be under way. Our correspondent in Kyiv reports on the mood and on what is known so far. And we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/12/what-the-carjacking-wave-says-about-american-policing?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">sharp rise</a> in carjackings in America, asking why so many young people end up behind the wheel. 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>

In little more than a year, three of Latin America’s four most populous countries have expanded access to abortion. We ask what is driving that change in the region. Austin is the destination for many fleeing Silicon Valley; our correspondent examines the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/01/15/as-austin-thrives-as-a-tech-hub-will-it-avoid-san-franciscos-problems?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">risks posed</a> to the hot new tech spot. And the sugarloaf pineapple: the lucrative fruit of Benin’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/19/how-the-sugarloaf-pineapple-became-the-champagne-of-benin?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">branding labours</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>

<p>President Vladimir Putin has declared the independence of the two Ukrainian provinces of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/15/why-donetsk-and-luhansk-are-at-the-heart-of-the-ukraine-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">Donbas</a>—and <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/21/vladimir-putin-orders-troops-to-two-breakaway-republics-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">sent in "peacekeepers"</a>. We ask what is next. The African Union was founded two decades ago this year; its early integration and diplomatic successes have since sharply <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/12/the-african-union-is-less-effective-at-20-than-it-was-at-two?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">faded</a>. And our deep, <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2022/01/29/what-spotify-data-show-about-the-decline-of-english#interactive_chart?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">interactive</a> dive into Spotify reveals the slipping global dominance of English-language lyrics.</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 Gambia’s first-of-its-kind case at the International Court of Justice might bring a rebuke and shine light on Myanmar’s brutal tactics. It might not, alas, bring succour for the Rohingyas. Our correspondent considers a grand geopolitical gamble from exactly 50 years ago, seeking <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/02/03/nixons-visit-to-china-50-years-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">lessons for today</a> from Richard Nixon’s visit to China. And research reveals that noise <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/plants-are-adversely-affected-by-the-racket-of-urban-traffic/21807602?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">stresses plants out</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>

<p>We unpick the week’s torrent of headlines; an invasion may yet come but either way President Vladimir Putin has already harmed Russia. The country’s digital self-isolation project is quietly forging ahead; we examine its home-grown “tech stack” with everything from chips up to apps. And we hear from a Ukrainian woman whose life has been upended by the conflict’s uncertainties.</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>BioNTech, the German firm behind the first licensed coronavirus jab, reveals its attempts to stuff its technology into <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/biontech-plans-to-make-vaccines-in-shipping-containers/21807708?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">shipping containers</a>—to be used where they are most needed. In the second instalment of our French-election series, we ask <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/01/13/the-french-left-faces-disaster-in-aprils-presidential-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">what is left</a> of the country’s left. And, as the Olympics wrap up, putting numbers to judges' <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/02/12/how-to-detect-nationalism-in-winter-sport-judges?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">biases</a> that favour their compatriots. </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>

Last summer President Kais Saied nobbled the legislature; now he has abolished the judiciary. We ask where the country <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/8218219cb109041baf61ea3cf8b7dd7e?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 headed</a>, and why there is so little protest. Brazil’s modern-art scene, born a century ago this week, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/02/12/how-the-cannibal-manifesto-changed-brazil?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">flourished</a> despite rocky politics—but the current president has a chokehold on it. And the Thai army’s quixotic <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/12/bangkok-is-trying-to-evict-its-street-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">mission</a> to evict Bangkok’s legendary street-food hawkers. 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>

<p>Today’s figures showing the first annual economic growth in three years may seem promising. But the grand plans of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/12/kishida-fumios-new-capitalism-is-many-things-but-it-is-not-new?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">resemble past policies</a> that have not worked. The finely tuned government of Bosnia is under <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/02/12/bosnia-is-on-the-brink-of-falling-apart-again?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">grave threat</a> from some of the same forces that caused its brutal war. And why roadkill is now <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/12/roadkill-is-now-on-the-menu-in-wyoming?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">on the menu</a> in Wyoming.</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>It has become much more than a fight against proof-of-vaccination strictures. The anti-government mood has spread in Canada and abroad. What happens next? Haiti has received billions upon billions in foreign assistance but its situation remains dire; we ask why all that aid has not aided much. And <em>Reader’s Digest</em>, a surprisingly influential American snappy-excerpts magazine, turns 100.</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>Since American forces left, <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/01/29/afghans-are-more-pessimistic-about-their-future-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">pessimism</a> has skyrocketed—and with good reason. Starvation is driving Afghans to sell their organs and even their children in order to eat. The artificial snow of this year’s winter Olympics is unsustainable and environmentally troubling; we meet a “<a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/01/31/can-the-winter-olympics-survive-on-a-warming-planet?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">snow consultant</a>” pioneering a better way. And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/lata-mangeshkar-was-the-soundtrack-of-the-newly-independent-country/21807600?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">Lata Mangeshkar</a>, who gave voice to a newly liberated India.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The state-legislature <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/indias-democracy-is-not-as-healthy-as-this-months-elections-make-it-seem/21807621?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">poll</a> in Uttar Pradesh is in effect a vote on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasingly stringent Hindu-national agenda—and will hint at his party’s chances in 2024. Oil majors are getting points for selling off their dirtiest oil-and-gas operations; we ask <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/who-buys-the-dirty-energy-assets-public-companies-no-longer-want/21807594?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">who is buying them</a>. And which countries are up and which are down in our annual <a href="https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2021?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">Democracy Index</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>

So far Germany’s new chancellor has been all but invisible at home and on the international stage. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/germanys-new-chancellor-hesitates-in-the-face-of-russias-threats/21807378?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">motives</a> behind his reticence—and his abilities during a European crisis. As space becomes a battleground and satellites become targets, new research aims to bring nuclear power <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/why-space-is-about-to-enter-its-nuclear-age/21807486?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">to bear</a>. And visiting a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/01/19/kaws-the-serpentine-fortnite-and-the-worlds-biggest-art-show?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">red-hot art exhibition</a> in three ways at once. 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>

<p> For years, the big tech firms Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google were seen as a collective good bet; investors will soon judge them each on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2022/02/04/metamorphosis-facebook-and-big-tech-competition?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">their merits—or demerits</a>. After Israel’s creation, Jews were shunned in the Arab world; that now seems to be changing, <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/the-arab-world-is-re-embracing-its-jews/21807243?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 quickly</a>. And, on the frozen ground at Ukraine’s border, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/07/will-ukraines-muddy-ground-halt-russian-tanks?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">there will be mud</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>