The Intelligence from The Economist

A long-awaited inquiry into lockdown gatherings on Boris Johnson’s watch <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/05/25/sue-gray-produces-a-strikingly-patchy-account-of-the-downing-street-parties?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> lurid details of brash bashes. Yet the prime minister will be able, once again, to brush off the controversy. We ask why Switzerland is such a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2022/05/23/the-recipe-for-the-outperformance-of-swiss-businesses?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">powerhouse</a> in business and finance despite its modest resources. And how Russia’s war propaganda is <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/14/russia-is-swaying-twitter-users-outside-the-west-to-its-side?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">winning over</a> plenty of Twitter users. 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 19 children and two adults were <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/05/25/the-spate-of-gun-violence-shows-american-exceptionalism-at-its-worst?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">gunned down</a> in Texas, we ask why gun laws are actually loosening in many states and why even moderate gun controls do not get passed. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/24/where-is-monkeypox-spreading-fastest?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">rapid spread</a> of monkeypox has rattled a covid-weary world; how much <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/20/monkeypox-is-popping-up-in-more-countries-how-worrying-is-this?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">cause for concern</a> is there? And why teams of professional writers are <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/05/10/video-game-writing-is-improving-by-leaps-and-bounds?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">getting involved</a> in games development. 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>China’s Communist Party leaders have painted themselves <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/05/19/the-chinese-capital-tries-to-avoid-a-lockdown?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">into a corner</a>: they cannot be seen to put the capital into lockdown, but permitting covid to spread could be catastrophic. We look into the <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/05/17/a-baby-formula-shortage-feeds-criticism-of-corporate-heft-and-price-gouging?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">myriad reasons</a> behind America’s sharp shortages of baby formula, and how to solve them. And why it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/05/19/turkmenistans-new-president-is-clamping-down-on-womens-freedoms?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">illegal</a> for women to get a manicure in Turkmenistan.</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>Anthony Albanese, the first Labor prime minister in a decade, has <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/05/22/what-australias-new-government-will-do?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">pledged</a> to do far more on climate change. His party’s slim win shows how Australian politics is changing. Bosses are increasingly turning to surveillance software to <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/welcome-to-the-era-of-the-hyper-surveilled-office/21809219?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">monitor employees</a> (so be careful if listening to this show during work hours). And why the fortune-telling tradition of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/05/19/in-brazil-if-you-need-answers-see-a-cowrie-shell-thrower?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">shell-throwing</a> thrives in Brazil.</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 Kremlin’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2022/05/17/the-putin-show" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">propaganda machine</a> ensures that Russians have a much different view of the war in Ukraine than the rest of the world. Our correspondent spent a day immersed in Russian media, to learn what people there see—and what they don’t. The spectre of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/05/14/zimbabwes-president-orders-banks-to-stop-lending" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hyperinflation</a> is once again stalking Zimbabwe. And our obituaries editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2022/05/19/saotome-katsumoto-insisted-that-japan-should-not-forget" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remembers</a> a man who refused to let Japan forget its painful past.</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>

North Korea’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/05/17/covid-19-is-spreading-like-wildfire-in-north-korea" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">zero-covid strategy</a> appears to have failed. The country has officially acknowledged 162 cases; the true number is probably orders of magnitude more. The country’s health-care system is inadequate, and pre-existing conditions such as tuberculosis and malnutrition are rampant. With elections impending in Turkey, politicians have begun competing with each other to scapegoat <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/04/23/as-turkey-locks-down-refugees-are-the-first-to-suffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">refugees</a>. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/05/07/why-arab-schoolboys-are-getting-trounced-by-girls" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">girls outperform boys</a> in the Arab world’s schools. <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>

Five American states held primary elections yesterday. The most important were in<a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/04/30/pennsylvanias-primaries-point-to-the-future-of-american-politics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Pennsylvania</a>, where a Trump-backed candidate won the Republican gubernatorial primary. The Republican senate race remains too close to call. <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/the-spy-in-the-sky-that-sees-backwards-in-time/21809102" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wide-area motion imaging</a> is a surveillance technique developed by the military in Iraq but now creeping into the civilian world. And why war in Ukraine is raising the price of <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/05/14/ukrainian-seasonal-workers-pick-much-of-britains-fruit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">berries</a> in Britain. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/05/12/the-crypto-infrastructure-cracks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stablecoins</a> are essential to the financial plumbing of the cryptocurrency world. They’re pegged to a real-world asset, usually the dollar. But when that peg breaks, things can turn ugly in a hurry. Much of India is suffering through a particularly blistering and costly <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/13/the-increasing-frequency-of-fatal-wet-bulb-temperatures" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">heatwave</a>. And Indonesians’ love of songbirds is threatening wild bird populations within and beyond Indonesia itself. 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>

Neither Finland nor <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/05/12/sweden-is-following-finlands-lead-on-joining-nato" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sweden </a>ever joined NATO, the Western military alliance formed in 1949: Finland for pragmatic reasons and Sweden for ideological ones. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted both to change course. <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/facebooks-retirement-plan/21809131" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>’s appeal is waning – to both users and investors. And for the first time, a telescope has captured images of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/13/how-to-take-a-picture-of-a-black-hole" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">black hole</a> at the centre of our galaxy. 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 Boris Johnson’s collective-defence deal with Swedish and Finnish leaders represents a shift in the European order—and Britain’s post-Brexit <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/05/14/britains-security-deals-with-finland-and-sweden-shine-a-light-on-boris-johnson?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">place in it</a>. Our correspondent visits Great Zimbabwe, a long-overlooked archaeological site of stunning proportions whose secrets are only now <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/christmas-specials/2021/12/18/great-zimbabwe-archaeology?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 revealed</a>. And a look at the weird sensory thrill of ASMR through a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/05/13/the-curious-pleasures-of-asmr?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 exhibition</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>

Russia’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/russia-begins-a-new-phase-of-its-war-in-ukraine/21808840?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">bid</a> to conquer the eastern region of Donbas is proceeding at a snail’s pace. All over Ukraine resistance continues and a grinding, prolonged conflict looms. Police reform remains controversial in America even two years after George Floyd’s murder. We visit two alternative-policing efforts to see how things might change. And examining the cultural chronicle tucked within Britain’s rules-of-the-road handbook. 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>Demonstrations that eventually <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/sri-lankas-prime-minister-resigns-in-the-face-of-escalating-protests/21809223?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">ousted</a> the prime minister have cost lives, but the protest mood is not fading: many want every member of the storied Rajapaksa family out of government. We examine an effort to develop <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/gps-for-the-oceans/21808966?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">undersea GPS</a> and learn why a watery sat-nav would be so useful. And why 1972 was such a <a href=" https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/05/12/brazilian-music-reached-a-crescendo-in-1972-why" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">formative year</a> for music in Brazil.</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>John Lee, the successor to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, won by a <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/2022/05/06/why-the-power-of-hong-kongs-chief-executives-is-waning?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">predictable landslide</a>: he is just the sort of law-and-order type party leaders in Beijing wanted. As the rich world emerges from the pandemic, surges in activity abound—particularly the opening of <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/04/23/all-over-the-rich-world-new-businesses-are-springing-to-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">new businesses</a>. And ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, we hear about this year’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/04/25/singing-dancing-and-defending-their-country-meet-ukraines-eurovision-entry?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">entrants from Ukraine</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>America accounts for the lion’s share of weaponry sent to Ukraine. But that may <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/05/07/because-of-ukraine-americas-arsenal-of-democracy-is-depleting?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">leave it short</a> of arms in onward conflicts; boosting production is not as easy as it may seem. The widespread cost-of-living crunch is <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/04/21/a-guide-to-britains-cost-of-living-crunch?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">particularly acute</a> in Britain; we visit a food bank to see how people are coping. And the surprising demographic trends <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/californias-demography-is-at-odds-with-the-old-california-dream/21809086?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">shaping</a> contemporary California.</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>

Voters in the Philippines choose a new president on Monday. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/05/07/another-ferdinand-marcos-is-set-to-become-president-of-the-philippines?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">likely winner</a> is a scion of one of the country’s most controversial families. Exxon struck oil off the coast of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/26/guyanas-tiny-population-braces-for-a-gusher-of-petrodollars?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">Guyana</a> a few years back. How will becoming a petrostate change this small country on South America’s northern coast? And <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/05/05/australian-scientists-are-jabbing-koalas-against-chlamydia?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">koalas</a> are adorable but imperilled—by development, stray dogs and now, a quickly spreading bacterial infection. <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>

Prices in America are rising faster than at any time in the past 40 years. In response, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/the-federal-reserve-is-causing-pain-in-financial-markets/21809132?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">Federal Reserve</a> has made its steepest interest-rate hike in 20 years. Will it be enough to tame inflation while not tipping America into recession? <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/04/26/locked-down-in-shanghai-ive-caught-a-glimpse-of-our-techno-dystopian-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">Shanghai’s residents</a> are growing restive after a long lockdown. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/21/making-money-from-nelson-mandelas-name?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">Nelson Mandela’s name</a> and legacy are being used to sell a growing range of consumer goods. <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>Voters in the UK head to the polls for local elections tomorrow. In <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/04/28/nationalists-are-set-for-a-historic-win-in-northern-irelands-vote" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Northern Ireland</a>, a party that does not want the country to exist appears poised to win the largest number of seats. Why <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/05/08/warren-buffett-should-step-aside-for-his-chosen-successor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a Nebraskan company</a>’s annual general meeting has become known as “the Woodstock of capitalism.” And how the art of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/21/indian-cows-and-buffaloes-are-going-online" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cattle trading</a> is getting a 21st century makeover.</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 leaked draft opinion shows America’s Supreme Court is ready to let states<a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/what-happens-if-americas-supreme-court-overturns-womens-right-to-abortion/21808709" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> outlaw abortion</a>. We explore the implications for American politics, and the rights of millions of American women. Around 85% of the world’s population lives in countries, often democracies at peace, where <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/briefing/2022/05/03/press-freedom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press freedom</a> has declined over the past five years. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2022/04/30/mimi-reinhard-typed-up-schindlers-list" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remembering</a> the typist of Oskar Schindler’s list.</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>Much like Ukraine, Taiwan has a well-armed neighbour that does not think it exists as a state: China. We ask what both sides <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/what-taiwan-can-learn-from-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/21808850?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">are learning</a> from Russia’s invasion. A heavy-handed <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/04/30/el-salvadors-president-has-locked-up-19000-people-in-a-month?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">string of arrests</a> following a flare-up of gang violence in El Salvador is unlikely to change matters. And an analysis <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/04/16/in-chilly-parts-of-europe-heatwaves-strengthen-environmentalism?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> the connection between weather and whether voters support climate-change legislation. </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>

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s armed forces were believed to be lean, modern and fighting fit. We ask why they have performed <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/04/30/how-rotten-is-russias-army?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 poorly</a>. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/30/a-turkish-court-sentences-activist-osman-kavala-to-life-in-prison?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">life sentence</a> for a Turkish activist portends heightened repression as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads for a tough election. And celebrating master harmonica player Toots Thielemans on the centenary of his birth. 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>

By shutting off gas to Poland and Bulgaria, Russia has made <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/russia-cuts-off-gas-to-two-european-countries/21808988?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 aggressive move</a> that may draw yet more European sanctions. How might the escalation end? The popularity of Singapore’s ruling party has slipped, a bit, so it has selected a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/23/lawrence-wong-is-singapores-presumptive-next-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">kinder, gentler leader</a> ahead of elections in 2025. And why the delayed Art Biennale in Venice was <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/04/22/an-enthralling-show-inspired-by-leonora-carrington-opens-in-venice?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">worth the wait</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>Activists are tired of waiting for governments and companies to act on climate change. So increasingly they’re taking the matter <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/04/23/lawsuits-aimed-at-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-a-growing-trend?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 court</a>—with success. Egypt’s leaders claim the country is open for business, but the army has a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/21/why-egypt-isnt-open-for-business?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 stranglehold</a> on the private sector. And even the trails up Mount Everest are being <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/04/16/the-fallout-from-europes-war-reaches-the-himalayas?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">affected</a> by the war in Ukraine.</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 world’s richest man now <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/elon-musk-is-taking-twitters-public-square-private/21808958?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">has the keys</a> to one of the most influential social-media platforms. Can it be the free-speech wonderland he is aiming for? Should it? In America marriages involving those under the age of consent remain <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/02/26/child-marriage-in-america-has-fallen-sharply-but-not-far-enough?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">surprisingly common</a>; we examine why reform remains distant. And a look at the push to <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/spacesuits-are-showing-their-age/21808842?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">redesign</a> outdated, clunky spacesuits. 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>Emmanuel Macron’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/24/emmanuel-macron-wins-a-second-term-as-frances-president?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">re-election</a> is historic and, for many, a relief. But, as we discuss in the final instalment of our French-election series, the campaign revealed divisions that will trouble his second term, and that he must now try to heal. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/the-west-needs-to-send-ukraine-more-and-better-weapons/21808849?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 flow</a> of foreign weaponry has been a significant factor in Ukraine’s resistance; we examine the geopolitical implications of all that hardware. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/04/13/the-cost-of-personalised-number-plates-is-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">pricey phenomenon</a> of Britain’s personalised licence plates.</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>

BRITAIN’S GOVERNMENT has proposed sending asylum-seekers to <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/04/23/shipping-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-could-wreck-the-refugee-convention" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rwanda</a>. The plan has been widely criticised as expensive and ineffective—but the greater danger is that the plan works. New research suggests that diversification, rather than boosting domestic production, may keep <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/04/23/new-research-spells-out-the-benefits-of-diverse-supply-chains" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">supply chains</a> resilient. And our correspondent considers the legacy of <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/04/21/charles-mingus-born-100-years-ago-was-a-unique-unruly-genius" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles Mingus</a>, an American composer and bassist born 100 years ago today. <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 entered a new phase, and its forces in Ukraine have a new commander—one with a history of targeting civilians. The next few weeks are likely to see huge, bloody battles for control of the eastern <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/russia-begins-a-new-phase-of-its-war-in-ukraine/21808840" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donbas</a> region. As Sunday’s presidential run-off vote approaches our French-election series <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/03/emmanuel-macrons-charm-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">profiles</a> the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/around-the-world-people-like-and-dislike-the-same-scents/21808584" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">smell</a> preferences vary little across cultures.</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>In Yemen, fighting between Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Recently, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/16/war-ravaged-yemen-gets-a-truce-and-dumps-a-tired-president" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ceasefire</a> has taken hold — but whether it presages the war’s end or further fighting remains unclear. A new <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/03/26/a-new-film-on-kashmir-has-found-a-fan-in-narendra-modi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">film </a>about Kashmir has proven popular among Indian politicians, largely because it supports their Hindu-nationalist narrative. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/26/why-cricket-is-gaining-popularity-in-brazil" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cricket</a> is taking off in Brazil.</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>ONE-THIRD of the world’s population lives in <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/why-so-much-of-the-world-wont-stand-up-to-russia/21808737" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">countries</a> backing neither Russia nor Ukraine. The Biden administration has tried to persuade them off the fence, without much success. In Egypt, social mores make it tricky for <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/09/why-single-women-in-egypt-find-it-hard-to-rent-a-flat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">women</a> to live alone—so they have devised clever tactics to avoid unwelcome attention. And why residents of New Jersey are <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/04/09/self-service-petrol-stations-hit-a-roadblock-in-new-jersey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">banned</a> from pumping their own petrol—for now.</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 war in Ukraine has created the greatest flux of refugees in Europe since the second world war. We visit Poland, where the response has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2022/04/16/warsaws-mayor-explains-how-his-city-is-coping-with-a-17-increase-in-its-population?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">remarkably smooth</a>, and a New York neighbourhood that is <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/03/grief-rage-anxiety-voices-from-brighton-beach-new-yorks-russian-neighbourhood?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">no stranger</a> to émigrés from the region. And we consider the displaced who are largely overlooked: why are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/03/26/istanbul-has-become-a-refuge-for-thousands-of-russians-escaping-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">so many</a> Russians exiling themselves in Turkey?</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>

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>