The Intelligence from The Economist

<p>The first-ever water shortage declared for the Colorado River is just one sign of troubles to come; as the climate changes, century-old water habits and policies must change with it. Israel’s Pegasus spyware has raised concerns the world over, but the country is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/31/israel-is-loth-to-regulate-its-spyware-exports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">loath</a> to curb its exports of hacking tools. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/31/a-tangy-nigerian-cooking-ingredient-is-cheering-the-diaspora?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resurgence</a> of a beloved and funky Nigerian seasoning.</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 president’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/15/it-is-still-unclear-who-murdered-haitis-president?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">assassination</a>, a cratered economy and now this: a tropical depression that will hamper rescue efforts after a massive earthquake. The country cannot catch a break. India and Pakistan parted ways 74 years ago this week; we discuss how the tensions that defined their division still <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/08/13/why-the-partition-of-india-and-pakistan-led-to-decades-of-hurt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resonate</a> today. And why Indonesia is so good at <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/08/14/how-indonesia-became-the-home-of-badminton?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">badminton</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 fall of Kabul, the capital, <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/08/15/the-talibans-terrifying-triumph-in-afghanistan?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sealed</a> the country’s fate: after 20 years, the Taliban are back in charge—a fearsome outcome for its <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/08/13/hiding-books-buying-burqas-kandahar-prepares-for-taliban-rule?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">people</a> and for the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/08/15/america-may-pay-dearly-for-defeat-in-afghanistan?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Biden administration</a>. As capital punishment fades, life sentences proliferate; that comes with its own <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/07/06/as-the-death-penalty-becomes-less-common-life-imprisonment-becomes-more-so?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs and iniquities</a>. And visiting an <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/08/07/in-uruguay-few-descendants-of-russian-emigres-want-to-leave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">enclave</a> in Uruguay that is in many ways more Russian than Russia.</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>Restrictions are opaque, fickle and often <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/08/14/most-covid-19-travel-restrictions-should-be-scrapped?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">illiberal</a>—and it is not even clear how much they help curb the coronavirus. Chinese officials want to boost the economy of the province of Xinjiang, but our correspondent says plans predicated on repressing the Uyghur minority are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/08/07/chinas-efforts-to-lift-xinjiangs-economy-may-smother-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely to work</a>. And bidding <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/08/14/flexibility-is-the-key-to-success?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">farewell</a> to our work-and-management columnist, who still hates useless meetings.</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 Senate has <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/joe-bidens-splurge-on-infrastructure-moves-a-step-closer-1/21803517?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">passed</a> the first part of President Joe Biden’s mammoth plan, which is now tied to a far more ambitious part two. We examine their prospects for passage. Zambia is undertaking a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/08/07/zambias-election-is-crucial-but-its-not-a-fair-fight?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pivotal election</a>—but it seems far from a fair fight to oust the incumbent. And our Germany-election <a href="https://economist.com/germany-model?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tracker</a> cuts through reams of data and tricky electoral politics.</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>Across the Mediterranean and beyond, flames are consuming the landscape. Our correspondent says Turkey’s government helped make the country a tinderbox and was caught <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/08/07/turkeys-deadly-fires-raise-the-heat-for-erdogan?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flat-footed</a> by the blaze. State secrets, business intelligence, even conservation data: it’s all online, and freely available. We examine the pros and cons in an era of <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/08/07/open-source-intelligence-challenges-state-monopolies-on-information?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">open-source intelligence</a>. And the “murder hornet” <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/07/07/insect-wars-murder-hornets-v-the-american-honeybee?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">threatening</a> America’s north-west.</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>Inoculation or testing requirements are <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/vaccine-mandates-are-spreading/21803404?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spreading</a> nearly as fast as the Delta variant. But it is not clear they will actually drive more people to get vaccinated. A broad semiconductor shortage has hit plenty of industries; we examine supply-chain <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/semiconductors-pose-an-unwelcome-roadblock-for-carmakers/21803287?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subtleties</a> that have made it particularly bad for carmakers. And why Mumbai is suffering from a plague of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/08/07/snake-sightings-are-becoming-increasingly-common-in-mumbai?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">snakes</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 UN climate body’s latest <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/08/09/the-ipcc-delivers-its-starkest-warning-about-the-worlds-climate?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">doorstopper report</a> is unequivocal: climate change is human-caused, and already here—and 1.5°C of warming is looking ever harder to avoid. In Bolivia, debate <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/08/07/is-evo-morales-staging-a-comeback-in-bolivia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still rages</a> as to whether a 2019 election was rigged, or a coup; the people want pandemic relief, not paralysed politics. And investigating the received wisdom of the “<a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/07/16/is-the-myth-of-the-difficult-second-novel-fact-or-fiction?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">difficult second novel</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>Ebrahim Raisi <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/08/02/what-an-attack-on-an-oil-tanker-says-about-iran?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">takes office</a> as the country is blamed for multiple attacks in the region; a more mistrustful, hardline and aggressive regime awaits. Our correspondent meets a woman first trafficked into a sprawling Bangladeshi brothel at age 12 and who is now <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/02/19/she-was-trafficked-into-a-giant-brothel-now-she-runs-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in charge of it</a>. And the high-tech <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/07/14/new-running-shoes-are-smashing-records?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shoes</a> that may be contributing to tumbling world records in Tokyo.</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 a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/findings-of-sexual-harassment-put-andrew-cuomo-in-jeopardy/21803290?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">damning report</a> into sexual-harassment allegations, support for New York’s governor has cratered. He is hanging on—for now. LinkedIn seems to do a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/24/linkedin-faces-awkward-choices-in-china?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brisk trade</a> in China, without revealing how it keeps on the right side of the censors. So users increasingly censor themselves. And the mutual appreciation of Chechnya’s brutal dictator and a star mixed-martial-arts fighter.</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 explosion at Beirut’s port was a symptom, not a cause, of the country’s malaise. We find more questions than answers about the blast and a political class <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/a-year-after-the-beirut-blast-still-no-bottom-to-lebanons-crisis/21803288?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unshaken by it</a>. For half a century, one Beirut resident has, from the same apartment, witnessed a history pockmarked by <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/07/30/my-grandmothers-home-survived-last-years-blast-beirut-may-never-recover?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unexpected disaster</a>. And our Big Mac index <a href="https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveals</a> the depth of Lebanon’s economic crisis. </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 semiconductor giant wants to acquire ARM—a British firm that is more complement than competitor—but <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/08/01/will-nvidias-huge-bet-on-artificial-intelligence-chips-pay-off?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">regulators may balk</a>. We look at what’s at stake in chips. Something is changing in Americans’ spiritual lives: a drift away from organised religion. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/08/nothing-in-particulars-are-americas-fastest-growing-religious-group?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">startling rise</a> in the “nothing in particular” denomination. And how women are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/07/24/female-surfers-ride-the-wave-to-chinas-hainan-island?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">leading</a> China’s growing surfing scene.</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>Sweeping <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/07/26/the-taliban-grab-more-of-afghanistan-as-america-slips-out?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rural gains</a> made as American forces have slipped out are now giving way to bids for urban areas; an enormous, symbolic victory for the insurgents looms. Singapore has enjoyed relative racial harmony for decades, but shocking <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/07/29/racial-prejudice-rears-its-head-in-singapore?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent events</a> have revealed persistent inequalities. And why chewing gum has <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/07/26/bursting-the-bubble-how-gum-lost-its-cool?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lost its cool</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’s pandemic-driven measures granting relief on mortgages and rent arrears will soon expire, and millions of people <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/24/as-moratoriums-lift-will-america-face-a-wave-of-foreclosures-and-evictions?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are in danger</a> of losing their homes. The Netherlands’ history of slavery is often overlooked; a new exhibition goes to <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/06/03/a-new-exhibition-illuminates-the-history-of-dutch-slavery?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">great lengths</a> to confront it. And how Marmite’s love-it-or-hate-it reputation represents an <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/06/17/marketing-marmite-how-an-advertising-agency-started-a-culture-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely marketing coup</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 social-media behemoth revealed huge profits and stressed <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/27/facebook-eyes-a-future-beyond-social-media?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">even bigger plans</a>: to become an e-commerce giant and a hub for digital creators, and to pioneer something called the “metaverse”. After a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/08/the-clash-in-peru-over-the-election-result-continues?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bruising election</a>, Peru has an inexperienced new president; matching policy to his hard-left platform will be a dangerous game. And the publisher trying to bring <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/08/mills-and-boon-wants-to-diversify-its-hero-base?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ethnic diversity</a> to romance novels.</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>An international convention devised after the second world war is ill-suited to the refugee crises of today—and countries are <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/27/who-counts-as-a-refugee?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increasingly unwilling</a> to meet their obligations. Vancouver’s proposed response to a spate of drug overdoses is a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/24/vancouver-wants-to-decriminalise-possession-of-many-hard-drugs?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sweeping decriminalisation</a>; we ask whether the plan would work. And the bid to save a vanishingly rare “<a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/22/the-struggle-to-save-a-south-african-language-with-45-click-sounds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">click language</a>” in Africa.</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 president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament. It is clear that the country needed a shake-up in its hidebound politics—but is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/26/tunisias-democracy-totters-as-the-president-suspends-parliament?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this</a> the right way? A sprawling <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/10/a-cardinal-goes-on-trial?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trial</a> starting today involving the most senior Catholic-church official ever indicted is sure to cast light on the Vatican’s murky finances. And how climate change is already <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/15/climate-change-is-affecting-wine-flavours?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing</a> winemaking.</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 the country tests a <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/20/britain-tests-the-limits-of-mass-vaccination?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bold reopening strategy</a> in the face of the Delta variant, our political editor charitably characterises the prime minister’s tenure as <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/24/boris-johnson-marks-his-second-anniversary-in-number-10?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a mixed bag</a>. Hong Kong’s national-security law has now <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/07/21/academics-in-hong-kong-suffer-curbs-on-their-freedoms?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">come for its universities</a>, sending shudders through the territory’s last bastion of pro-democracy fervour. And why the alcohol-free beer industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/07/alcohol-free-beer-is-fizzing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fizzing</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>Tokyo is under a state of emergency; covid-19 cases are piling up. But for Japan, a super-spreader event is just one of the potential <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/22/why-do-so-few-cities-want-to-host-the-olympics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs</a> of this year’s games. We ask why Britain’s government has essentially given <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/15/an-amnesty-for-northern-irish-killers-is-supposed-to-draw-a-line-under-the-troubles?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">amnesty</a> to those involved in Northern Ireland’s decades of deadly violence. And our obituaries editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/07/15/esther-bejarano-died-on-july-10th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reflects</a> on the life of an Auschwitz accordionist.</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 seems ever more certain that global temperatures will <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/30/what-would-different-levels-of-global-warming-look-like?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sail past</a> limits set in the Paris Agreement. We examine what a world warmed by 3°C would—or will—look like. Our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/15/a-general-a-warlord-and-an-economist-vie-to-run-sudan?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speaks</a> with Sudan’s three most powerful men; will they act in concert or in conflict on the way to democracy? And why Liverpool has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/07/17/liverpools-changing-skyline-defies-unesco?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">booted</a> from UNESCO’s world-heritage 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>On the face of it, the streaming giant’s quarterly results were lacklustre. But our media editor explains why its international growth looks promising, and how it is spreading its bets. A largely uncontested purge of LGBT accounts from China’s social-media platform WeChat reveals much about a growing Chinese-nationalist narrative online. And why researchers are cataloguing the microbes of big cities.</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 European Union, NATO and the “Five Eyes” intelligence partners have all joined America in <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/20/america-and-its-allies-admonish-but-do-not-sanction-china-for-hacking?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accusing</a> China’s government of involvement in hacking campaigns. Now what? Away from the spectacle of billionaires’ race to the heavens, many African countries are <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/17/africa-is-blasting-its-way-into-the-space-race?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">establishing</a> space programmes—with serious innovation and investment opportunities on the ground. And why Australia is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/22/why-is-australia-suffering-from-a-plague-of-mice?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suffering</a> from a plague of mice.</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>Disaster-recovery efforts continue, even as heavy rains continue in many places. The tragedy brings climate change <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/07/16/devastating-floods-in-germany-warn-europe-of-the-dangers-of-warming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to the fore</a>, with political implications particularly in Germany. Syria’s oppressive regime is short of cash, so it has apparently turned to <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/f4986d19a4b6457d7f67615518da9fa0?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trafficking</a> in an increasingly popular party drug. And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/26/why-new-england-is-going-wild-for-wet-weeds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kelp farms</a> are bobbing up along America’s New England coast.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Bank bosses are jubilant: revenues were down but profits <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/07/15/banks-on-wall-street-report-bumper-second-quarter-profits?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">way up</a>. We look at the pandemic-driven reasons behind the windfall, and ask how long their influence may last. A thicket of conflicting laws is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/06/24/bob-marleys-heirs-boost-jamaicas-ganja-industry?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complicating</a> Jamaica’s plans to enter the wider medical-marijuana market. And our critic reports from a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/01/cannes-kicks-off-a-brighter-blockbuster-season?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slimmed-down</a> Cannes film festival.</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>Widespread looting and the worst violence since apartheid continue, exposing ethnic divisions and the persistent influence of Jacob Zuma, a former president. <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/07/14/south-africas-war-for-the-rule-of-law?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How</a> to quell the tensions? As some countries administer third covid-19 “booster shots” we ask about the epidemiological and moral cases for and against them. And the bids to <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/14/baseball-risks-irrelevance-if-it-doesnt-adapt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reverse the decline</a> of America’s national pastime.</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 state’s Democratic lawmakers have fled to Washington, stymieing a voting-rights bill. We examine the growing state-level, bare-knuckle fights on voting rights across the country. Ransomware attacks just keep getting bolder, more disruptive, more sinister; what <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/19/to-stop-the-ransomware-pandemic-start-with-the-basics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">structural changes</a> could protect industries and institutions from attack? And Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/06/24/eels-are-in-crisis-but-hope-is-coming-on-stream?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">efforts</a> to bring back the eels that once filled its rivers.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Which carriers will thrive? Long-haulers or short-hoppers? The no-frills or the glitzy? The bailed-out or the muddled-through? Our industry editor <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/06/which-airlines-will-soar-after-the-pandemic?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scans the skies</a>. Record numbers of Latin American migrants heading for America’s southern border mask another trend: many are stopping and making a home <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/06/17/many-central-american-migrants-are-staying-in-mexico?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in Mexico</a>. And Japan’s storied but declining public bathhouses get <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/07/01/japans-dying-sento-are-becoming-cool-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hipster makeovers</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>Food shortages are nothing new. But it has been decades since shelves have been <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/01/cuba-is-facing-its-worst-shortage-of-food-since-the-1990s?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so empty</a>—and since Cubans took to the streets in such numbers. Richard Branson’s space jaunt was intended to mark the start of a space-tourism industry; we examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/11/will-sir-richard-bransons-virgin-galactic-jaunt-boost-space-tourism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its prospects</a>. And why, despite last night’s disappointment, England’s football fans should be hopeful about their national side.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The world’s youngest state was born amid boundless optimism. But poverty is still endemic and ethnic tensions still rule politics; <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/10/south-sudans-second-decade-may-be-as-troubled-as-its-first?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what hope</a> for its next decade? Mass graves found at Canada’s “residential schools” have sparked a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/01/more-graves-are-found-at-canadian-schools-for-the-indigenous?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reckoning</a> about past abuses of indigenous peoples. And marking 50 years since the final album of Karen Dalton, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/07/08/karen-dalton-is-the-forgotten-queen-of-the-folk-scene?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">forgotten queen of folk</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 22min</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>Jovenel Moïse presided, in an increasingly authoritarian way, over a country slipping toward failed-state status. The unrest is likely to worsen following <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/07/07/the-murder-of-its-president-will-worsen-haitis-chaos?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his assassination</a>. The Democratic primary race for New York’s mayor has at last been decided, with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/07/07/eric-adams-is-poised-to-be-new-yorks-next-mayor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lessons</a> for Democrats elsewhere and for fans of ranked-choice voting. And the movement to revive Islam’s bygone relaxed <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/27/gay-people-are-reclaiming-an-islamic-heritage?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attitudes</a> to homosexuality. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Despite registering the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, the country is being lashed by covid-19. Mixed messages and a long-cultivated mistrust are to blame. DARPA, America’s agency that funds blue-sky tech research, has been so successful down the years that now other countries want <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/03/a-growing-number-of-governments-hope-to-clone-americas-darpa?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to copy it</a>. And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/06/24/kenneth-kaunda-died-on-june-17th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kenneth Kaunda</a>, an icon of African liberation.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Just after the ride-hailing giant made a splashy stockmarket debut, Chinese regulators <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/05/didis-removal-from-chinas-app-stores-marks-a-growing-crackdown?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">came down hard</a>. Why is the country crimping its tech champions? There is something missing at many American embassies around the world: American ambassadors. We ask why <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/24/america-says-its-back-but-where-are-its-ambassadors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so few</a> are in post, and what risk that poses. And the not-so-simple task of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/21/how-many-oceans-are-there?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">counting</a> the Earth’s oceans.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Passport queues are lengthening; ad-hoc civilian militias are strengthening. As foreign powers bow out, Taliban militants <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/10/can-afghan-forces-hold-off-the-taliban-after-american-troops-leave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">take</a> district after district—and the fear of the people is palpable. The pandemic drove a boom in the attention economy, and media companies happily obliged. Now, it seems, an “<a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/07/01/as-lockdowns-lift-media-firms-brace-for-an-attention-recession?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attention recession</a>” looms. And a look at the thoroughly inbred nature of thoroughbred <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/06/19/thoroughbred-horses-are-increasingly-inbred?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">horses</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The coronavirus’s Delta variant accounts for ever more infections; we ask about mutational surprises <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/07/03/the-new-variants-of-sars-cov-2-are-much-more-dangerous-to-the-unvaccinated?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">yet to emerge</a>, and what can be done about them. The ousting of Ethiopia’s army from the Tigray region might precipitate <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/07/01/tigrayan-forces-have-routed-the-ethiopian-army?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far wider conflict</a>—within the country and far beyond its borders. And ahead of the Fourth of July, we find <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/07/02/hollywoods-complicated-relationship-with-the-fourth-of-july?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no good films</a> about the holiday. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Pomp and rhetoric marked the centenary of what are arguably the world’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/26/chinas-communist-party-at-100-the-secret-of-its-longevity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most successful authoritarians</a>. We sit in on the celebrations, tinged with paranoia; we look back to 1921 and <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021/06/23/the-push-to-revamp-the-chinese-communist-party-for-the-next-100-years?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how the party came to be</a> and came to power; and we listen to the <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/b8d60045db7568e16e497defc192abdf?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">party-approved hip-hop</a> that represents a new propaganda push. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>South Africa’s embattled former leader <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/29/the-meaning-of-jacob-zumas-15-month-prison-sentence?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will be imprisoned</a> for failing to show up to trial—a sign that, for all the rot in South Africa, its Constitutional Court still has teeth. Our environment editor discusses the scope of heatwaves <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/29/why-are-the-north-western-united-states-and-british-columbia-suffering-a-heatwave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sweeping</a> the northern hemisphere and cheap ways to lower their death tolls. And how a centuries-old rice dish has become <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/04/22/too-hot-to-handle-the-battle-over-biryani?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">politicised</a> in India.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As both <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/17/america-and-russia-return-to-traditional-great-power-diplomacy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summitry</a> and military <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/24/russian-and-british-forces-square-off-in-the-black-sea?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">near-misses</a> proliferate, some want measured dialogue while others want markedly tougher talk. Our defence and Russia editors discuss world leaders’ diverging views on handling today’s Russia. South Korea’s new opposition leader is giving voice to many young men who <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/17/young-men-in-south-korea-feel-victimised-by-feminism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rail against</a> the country’s feminist values. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/06/24/on-me-head-son-the-secret-economics-of-footballers-hair?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what lies behind</a> professional footballers’ frequent, flashy haircuts.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p>Runtime: 21min</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Hopes that the continent had escaped the worst of the pandemic have proved too hasty; our correspondent describes a slow-rolling tragedy with little hope of respite. Reading scores in America are shockingly low; many blame how the skill is taught. We examine one state’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/american-schools-teach-reading-all-wrong?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">experiment</a> with a method known to work better. And how smartphones are <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/06/21/is-smartphone-film-making-the-future-of-cinema?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing</a> the film industry. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>With elections looming, there is an <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/06/17/relative-peace-gives-iraq-a-chance-to-build-a-functioning-state?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">opportunity</a> to remake a state ravaged by war and riven by power struggles. We ask how to take Iraq out of a hard place. Fires are raging again in the American West; a “<a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/15/is-the-american-west-in-a-megadrought?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">megadrought</a>” in the region may shape its future development. And the 175th anniversary of a foundational <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/24/an-anniversary-for-free-traders?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free-trade battle</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The court’s term is not quite over, with contentious rulings still pending. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/22/americas-supreme-court-paves-the-way-for-college-athletes-to-get-paid?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latest decisions</a> to gauge how its new conservative justices have affected its ideological bent. As a former Mauritanian president heads to jail we examine the country’s efforts to tackle corruption and bridge deep <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/10/mauritania-may-be-changing-for-the-better?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">societal divides</a>. And the long philosophical reach of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/05/22/a-century-ago-ludwig-wittgenstein-changed-philosophy-for-ever?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">only book</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>An admission that the country’s food situation is “tense” is a rare glimpse into the compounding effects of pandemic policies and crop failures. Adherents of wild conspiracy theories in America tend to be white, and often evangelical. But Hispanic Americans are getting <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/hispanic-americans-are-curious-about-qanon-too?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conspiracy-curious</a> too. And the moonshine that’s made from an Indian <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/04/17/the-joys-of-mahua-an-indian-tree-flower-and-liquor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flower</a> with a deep history.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The merest mention of future interest-rate rises from America’s central bank sent markets into <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/20/global-markets-adapt-to-a-change-in-the-federal-reserves-tone?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a tizzy</a>. We consider the merits and the effects of signalling early and often. Europe’s drug use dipped when the pandemic began, but <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/10/europes-drug-habit-proves-immune-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">soon rebounded</a>; we examine the rising potency of the continent’s drugs and drug syndicates. And data <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/10/remote-workers-work-longer-not-more-efficiently?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> what makes work-from-home productivity so low.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The northern region of Tigray, consumed by war and facing famine, will not vote today. It is all a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/16/ethiopias-flawed-elections-risk-dividing-the-country-further?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far cry</a> from what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed once promised. Italy has piles of cash and a new ministry to guide it through a green revolution; we examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/12/italy-has-a-tough-task-ahead-on-climate-change?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its plans</a> and its challenges. And a rare conservation <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/05/27/australian-whales-are-breeding-like-rabbits?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">success</a> off Australia’s coast.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The raid of an outspoken pro-democracy newspaper, carried out under the city’s newish security law, has further <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/06/19/hong-kongs-liberal-media-are-under-pressure?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spooked</a> its media outlets. We ask what remains of press freedom. Our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/06/19/economically-covid-19-has-hit-hard-up-urbanites-hardest?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">visits</a> Europe’s and Africa’s largest slums to see how a grinding pandemic has affected their residents. And how Somaliland’s curious, silent <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/05/13/why-camel-traders-are-getting-the-hump?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">camel-trading method</a> is changing.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The supreme leader is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/06/10/iran-has-rigged-its-election-to-favour-ebrahim-raisi-a-hardliner?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">consolidating</a> theocratic power and ensuring a hardline legacy. Voters know they have little meaningful choice; many will simply stay home. A <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/16/a-life-saving-new-drug-for-covid-19-is-found?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trial</a> shows the life-saving power of an antibody therapy for the most severe covid-19 cases—suggesting that seemingly failed earlier drugs need revisiting. And why a faded folk-music tradition in Norway is experiencing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/05/29/norwegian-folk-music-is-worth-preserving-says-the-un?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a revival</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have much to hammer out today—but don’t expect it to be genial. We examine what is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/06/15/a-summit-with-vladimir-putin-tests-joe-bidens-new-foreign-policy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the table</a>, and how each president will be judged. <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/06/10/cryptocoins-are-proliferating-wildly-what-are-they-all-for?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Competition</a> in the cryptocurrency world is mushrooming; we ask whether any contender might knock bitcoin off its top slot. And France’s curious sell-now, die-later <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/05/27/the-pandemic-revives-interest-in-a-morbid-french-financial-scheme?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">property scheme</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned on a promise to overturn the country’s political patronage, but as his popularity has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/05/29/brazils-president-jair-bolsonaro-is-under-siege?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slipped</a> he has come to need it. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/12/will-commercial-jets-break-the-sound-barrier-once-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latest bids</a> to return to commercial supersonic flight look promisingly quieter, cheaper and perhaps even more sustainable. And our correspondent reflects on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/05/27/i-spent-thousands-on-chemical-straightening-the-price-of-having-black-hair-in-a-white-world?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs</a> of having black hair in a white world. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Where they are clear, the summit’s commitments <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/f1017c1c7ca672a0b82961a6d2c5bab8?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">do not add much</a> to existing targets; mostly, though, they are woefully short on detail. We pick through the pledges. Germany is facing up to a colonial-era atrocity in modern-day Namibia, but a hard-won reparations <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/05/22/germany-is-apologising-for-crimes-a-century-ago-in-namibia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deal</a> will not quell controversy. And how Persian-music artists are <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/05/29/niche-services-are-connecting-iranian-artists-and-listeners?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">upending</a> the audio-streaming model. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

For the seven world leaders meeting in Britain the immediate crises are clear. But a broader question <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/06/09/who-gets-to-be-in-the-g7?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hangs over them</a>: how can the G7 maintain its relevance? A ruling in Britain excites a debate that takes in free speech, trans rights and <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/02/27/companies-are-increasingly-worried-about-what-their-employees-say?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">workplace policy</a>. And “van life” keeps <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/05/the-pandemic-pushed-more-americans-to-try-out-van-life?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spreading</a> but, as ever, not everything is as it seems on Instagram. Additional audio by Bryher's Boys, courtesy of Bryher’s Boys Publishing. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Air bases have been handed over; America’s remaining troops are shipping out and NATO forces are following suit. Can Afghanistan’s government forces <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/06/can-afghan-forces-hold-off-the-taliban-after-american-troops-leave?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hold off</a> the Taliban? In parts of China, a playful wedding tradition goes a bit <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/05/27/china-wants-to-curb-an-old-custom-the-hazing-of-wedding-couples?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">too far</a> for Communist Party authorities’ taste. And a look at just <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/06/03/testing-alibis-is-not-as-straightforward-as-it-seems?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how bad</a> people are at coming up with accurate alibis. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>