The Intelligence from The Economist

<p>In a region racked by dodgy polls, the country looks to continue a trend of uncontested handovers of power. That is not to say, however, that there aren’t sticking points. As tortuous Brexit negotiations drag on, we look at how British farming can and should change under a new regulatory regime. And the starving deer of a Japanese tourist hotspot.</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>Numbers of cases, hospitalisations and deaths are rocketing across the country. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/28/the-midwest-is-americas-covid-19-hotspot?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">situation in the Midwest</a>, as a microcosm of a wider unfolding tragedy. Venezuela’s ruling party will take over the National Assembly after <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/26/venezuelas-regime-will-win-the-legislative-election-by-a-lot?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunday’s vote</a>, sidelining the self-proclaimed legitimate leader Juan Guaidó and cementing Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship. And the fruitful life and ignominious death of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/25/with-the-death-of-arecibo-an-era-ends-for-radio-astronomy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arecibo telescope</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>In the West market forces are squeezing coal—even as its use rises in Asia. We examine how the world can wean itself off the dirtiest fossil fuel. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Belarus’s probable presidential-election winner, never expected to run for office. Our correspondent visits her in exile, asking about the country’s prospects for democracy. And how candy-floss machines may help make better face masks.</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>Britain’s High Court has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/12/01/a-court-makes-it-harder-to-prescribe-puberty-blockers-to-children?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ruled</a> that puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria have been dispensed too readily, fuelling a debate that will be keenly watched abroad. A vote today on a law tightening accounting rules on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/17/why-chinese-firms-still-flock-to-american-stock-exchanges?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American-listed Chinese companies</a> has a political dimension—and implications for investors. And Poland’s populist leaders seize on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/28/why-polish-politicians-fear-to-sneer-at-rural-music?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resurgence</a> of “disco polo” music.</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 <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/27/the-father-of-irans-nuclear-programme-is-assassinated?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">killing</a> of the country’s top nuclear scientist comes at a tricky time: violent retribution may threaten hoped-for diplomacy with the incoming American administration. An artificial-intelligence <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/30/deepmind-is-answering-one-of-biologys-biggest-challenges?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">breakthrough</a> may transform protein science, with implications for everything from industrial processes to tackling disease. And why Europe’s lighter-touch, second round of lockdowns have been <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/11/28/why-europes-second-less-severe-lockdowns-are-working?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so effective</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>Protesters are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/29/a-gagging-bill-could-shield-french-police-from-charges-of-brutality?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">raging</a> against a proposed bill that would outlaw posting videos of alleged police brutality—just as two videos expose more such violence. High-stakes exams for students have been delayed, modified, even cancelled during the pandemic; we look at how all those varying results <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/26/exams-are-grim-but-most-alternatives-are-worse?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stack up</a>. And, South Africa’s growing trend of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/21/livestock-theft-is-becoming-more-common-in-south-africa?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">livestock theft</a>—and rebranding.  </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>

Many of the country’s institutions are being <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/11/28/narendra-modi-threatens-to-turn-india-into-a-one-party-state?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slowly hobbled</a> by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government; we ask whether the world’s largest democracy is in peril. Sweden has a surprisingly entrenched problem with <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/28/why-sweden-struggles-to-curb-gang-violence?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gang violence</a>, revealing the social costs of its segregated populations. And how <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/11/26/black-friday-isnt-what-it-used-to-be?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Black Friday</a> is playing out in the pandemic era. 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 long string of pro-democracy protests are railing more and more <a href="http://espresso.economist.com/4de7729ea5daf28540ee79b3dca73d19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">against the king</a> himself—and the protesters are younger and more fearless than ever before. The arrest of Bobi Wine, Uganda’s popular singer-turned-opposition-hero, has sparked deadly violence. He won’t win January’s election, but his movement <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/07/bobi-wine-the-pop-star-who-would-be-president-of-uganda?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">isn’t going away</a>. And a Thanksgiving Day look at the globe-trotting <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/11/18/the-thanksgiving-turkey-is-actually-an-immigrant-where-does-it-come-from?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">history of the turkey</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 northern region’s surrounded forces are ignoring Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s deadline to disarm. More regions are being <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/16/ethiopias-civil-war-is-spreading-outside-its-borders?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drawn in</a>—and a conflagration across the Horn of Africa looms. Artificial-intelligence pilots have shown serious dogfighting skills, but for reasons both technical and ethical humans are <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/19/fighter-aircraft-will-soon-get-ai-pilots?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still needed</a> in the cockpit. And the rise of mixed martial arts on <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/15/mixed-martial-arts-is-on-the-rise-in-britain-and-on-the-right?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">both sides of the Atlantic</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 boom-and-bust of environmental-technology investing has settled out, and money is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/climate-conscious-venture-capitalists-are-back?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flooding in</a>—both individual and institutional. We examine the green fields that lie ahead. Many Arab countries have long been suffering an <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/21/much-of-the-arab-world-is-short-of-doctors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exodus</a> of medical professionals—a problem only magnified by the pandemic. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/11/21/jonathan-sacks-died-on-november-7th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a reflection</a> on the life of Jonathan Sacks, a tirelessly unifying British rabbi. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The tone of America’s president-elect on China changed markedly through the campaign; his policies, at least at the outset, <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/11/19/joe-bidens-china-policy-will-be-a-mix-of-trumps-and-obamas?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may differ little</a> from those of his predecessor. We examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/21/a-lack-of-data-on-race-hampers-efforts-to-tackle-inequalities?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stark racial disparities</a> in covid-19 outcomes around the world. And the clever use of a waste product to make <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/14/better-disposable-coffee-cups?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a better takeaway coffee cup</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>Peace talks continue in Doha but on the ground the Taliban are consolidating control. America’s rush to withdraw its forces could <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/21/donald-trump-risks-handing-afghanistan-to-the-taliban?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">undo</a> the good work of getting them to the negotiating table. As DoorDash heads to a public listing, we look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/21/doordash-is-a-dish-served-piping-hot-will-it-cool?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rapidly shifting fortunes</a> of the food-delivery business. And why golf has <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/11/21/how-new-swing-techniques-are-revolutionising-golf?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a long-shot problem</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>Now that the economic reins have been taken back from the president’s son-in-law, the country is making <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/11/14/will-turkeys-new-economic-officials-win-over-investors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the right policy noises</a>—and just in time. China’s anti-poverty drive is not disinterested charity; it is about <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/19/chinas-anti-poverty-drive-is-not-disinterested-charity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transforming citizens’ thoughts</a>. And chronicling Pepe the Frog’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/10/26/the-transmogrification-of-pepe-the-frog?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">descent</a> into alt-right memedom.</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 outgoing president is sticking with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/14/the-republican-party-and-donald-trumps-alternative-election-fantasy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an insidious fiction</a>, lashing out at those who deny it. That frustrates a stable handover of power—and will cost lives. Egypt has a long-standing problem with sexual harassment and abuse. A reckoning <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/14/egyptian-women-speak-up-about-sex-crimes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has begun</a> this year, revealing some deeply conservative views among both men and women. And why streaming-era television programmes have got <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/11/11/never-ending-story-why-do-todays-tv-shows-go-on-and-on?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so long</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>Following a purge based on a harsh new security law, the territory’s Legislative Council lacks a single opposition voice. That will make the work of pro-Beijing lawmakers easier. As promising vaccines start to emerge, we examine the role of so-called T-cells in granting <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/07/the-t-cell-immune-response-to-covid-lasts-at-least-six-months?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">long-lasting immunity</a> to the coronavirus. And why employers are relying more and more on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/05/questionable-behaviour?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">psychometric tests</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The chief aide to the prime minister had been a driving force in policy but a dividing force in government. What will happen now that he has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/13/dominic-cummings-boris-johnsons-chief-aide-stands-down?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stood down</a>? We examine how Canada’s response to the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/05/jobs-are-coming-back-in-canada-thanks-to-subsidies?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shielded its economy</a>—so far. And lockdowns bring <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/14/stockpiling-pasta-boosts-italys-foodmakers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the market for pasta</a> to a rolling boil. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The longest-running conflict in the Caucasus could well be over. We examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/10/armenia-and-azerbaijan-end-a-30-year-conflict-with-a-tense-peace-deal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a peace deal</a> that benefits outside powers and chips away at regional identities. The hipster aesthetic long ago permeated rich countries; our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/11/07/even-as-traditional-globalisation-has-slowed-a-new-kind-has-sped-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finds it creeping</a> even into impoverished and war-torn corners of the world. And reflecting on the life of James Randi, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/11/14/james-randi-died-on-october-20th?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tireless debunker</a> of charlatans.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Jihadism is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/15/malis-civilian-government-has-rather-a-lot-of-soldiers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">growing</a> in a continent-wide strip of Africa, and the riskiest operations to contain it fall to French troops. Our correspondent witnesses a fraught and seemingly endless mission. Peru has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/11/10/perus-congress-topples-martin-vizcarra-on-its-second-attempt?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ousted</a> yet another president, at a woeful time: the pandemic is raging, the economy cratering and politics fracturing. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/07/a-proposal-to-water-down-swedens-state-monopoly-on-booze?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">movement</a> to water down Sweden’s state monopoly on booze. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign had the environment front and centre. We analyse <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/09/19/global-warming-and-the-presidential-election?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his pledges</a>—and his prospects for implementing them. As the video-gaming industry releases its <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/11/07/playstation-5-v-xbox-series-x?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">next round of consoles</a>, it is eyeing a far larger prize: high-end gaming with no console at all. And the red poppy of Remembrance Day turns into something of <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/05/competitive-remembrance-day-celebrations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an armistice race</a> in Britain. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A vaccine claimed to be 90% effective represents <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/09/pfizers-and-biontechs-vaccine-is-the-start-of-the-end-of-the-pandemic?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an enormous achievement</a>. We discuss what questions remain and the regulatory and distribution challenges ahead. A string of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/05/democracy-is-faltering-in-tanzania-and-ivory-coast?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent African elections</a> reveals strongmen bending democracy to stay in office; will upcoming polls break it altogether? And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/indian-stoners-face-a-moral-crusade?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">moral crusade</a> in India doesn’t fit the country’s chill relationship with weed. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump will go, but Trumpism will remain. Our editor-in-chief considers how President-elect Biden can <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/08/joe-biden-and-the-new-art-of-world-leadership?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">repair</a> the divided country he will inherit. Denmark aims to cull 17m mink that could represent a reservoir of a mutated coronavirus—why didn’t it do so when <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/05/covid-19-ends-dutch-mink-farming?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">other countries did</a>? And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/11/05/whats-bigger-than-k-pop?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">old-timey Korean music</a> that might just challenge K-pop.  </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/11/04/ethiopia-lurches-towards-civil-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drastic steps</a> to quieten a state stacked with trained militias. The conflict could draw in more states—or the whole of the Horn of Africa. China’s increasing push for self-reliance in a globalised economy has its complications—made clear by a vast influx of precision-bred <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/29/high-tech-chickens-are-a-case-study-of-why-self-reliance-is-so-hard?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">super-chickens</a>. And the macabre tale of books <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/55b815e096cacb06e3e556d22e8d106c?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bound with human skin</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

As President Donald Trump’s re-election path <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/joe-bidens-recovery-in-the-midwest-brings-him-closer-to-victory?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slims</a>, his pledges to fight the results in court are multiplying. We look at the cases that may eventually decide the election. Global crises tend to affect birth rates, and covid-19 is no different—but <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/28/the-pandemic-may-be-leading-to-fewer-babies-in-rich-countries?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the effects</a> are not evenly spread. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/how-hotels-are-trying-to-attract-remote-workers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suite alternative</a> for business types tired of working from home. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The outcome remains unclear as vote-counting continues. We look at some of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/04/donald-trump-does-better-than-predicted-but-joe-biden-has-a-slight-edge?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surprise results</a>, ask what happens next and examine how <em>The Economist</em>’s <a href="https://projects.economist.com/us-2020-forecast/president?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">election forecast</a> has held up. And we tag along with our American correspondents for the thrill of election-night reporting.The latest results are here <a href="http://www.economist.com/us2020results" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/us2020results</a>; for full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Poland already had some of the strictest laws on terminations, but the ruling party’s bid to tighten them further has sparked <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/31/polands-abortion-rules-are-now-among-the-strictest-in-any-rich-country?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">national outrage</a>. We lay out what to expect on election night in America—the denouement will not be simple, and is <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/02/biden-or-trump-americans-may-have-to-wait-days-to-know-who-won?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unlikely to be quick</a>. And a historical look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/20/movie-night-at-the-white-house-a-century-of-screenings-decoded?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">films</a> screened in the White House’s private cinema. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson all but ruled out a second lockdown, but his hand has been forced by England’s caseload. What are the political costs of his U-turn? Myanmar’s coming election will almost certainly be marred by <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/22/in-myanmar-facebook-struggles-with-a-deluge-of-disinformation?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disinformation on Facebook</a>—principally because so many Burmese people get their only news there. And examining the current <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/15/political-biographies-are-dislodging-celebrity-books?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">glut of political biographies</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The staggering extent of illegal fishing, and its human and environmental costs, are only just becoming clear. We ask how to put a shadowy industry <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/22/illicit-fishing-devastates-the-seas-and-abuses-crews?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on a more even keel</a>. The old guard likes to mock millennial investors, but they’re <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/24/in-defence-of-millennial-investors?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing finance</a>, possibly for the better. And as Berlin’s shiny new airport opens we ask: why is it <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/17/berlins-long-delayed-airport-is-finally-opening?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nine years late</a>? For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The party’s Fifth Plenum sets out a five-year vision; we mine the plan for clues about how China views itself in the world—and how long Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/31/chinas-most-senior-officials-endorse-economic-plans-for-years-ahead?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">intends to lead</a>. The pandemic has the rich world <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/10/covid-19-is-helping-wealthy-countries-talk-about-death?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thinking and talking about death</a> in a way not seen since the second world war. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/31/singapores-government-helps-old-food-hawkers-but-not-young-ones?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an uncertain future</a> for Singapore’s famed street-food hawkers.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Across the continent, covid-19 cases are rising steeply and containment measures are <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/22/a-second-wave-of-covid-19-sends-much-of-europe-back-into-lockdown?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still divergent</a>. We look at the challenges of finding policies that are efficacious and sustainable. Tanzania’s election today is all but zipped up; President John Magufuli has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/22/president-magufuli-is-likely-to-win-an-unfair-vote-in-tanzania?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trampling</a> the country’s hard-won democratic traditions. And what the florid language of wine experts <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/17/does-naming-a-thing-help-you-understand-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">says</a> about human perception.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Amy Coney Barrett’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/26/amy-coney-barrett-is-set-to-transform-americas-supreme-court?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">confirmation</a> marks the first time since the 1930s the court has leaned so conservative, and has stoked another partisan battle that may further reshape the court. Following the announcement of <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/26/there-is-now-cast-iron-evidence-for-water-on-the-moon?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">water on the Moon</a>, we look at a looming, broader battle: who will own the water rights? And why Australia’s aboriginal flag is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/a-copyright-dispute-ensnares-the-aboriginal-flag?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying less and less</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The country has roundly rejected its dictatorship-era charter and mapped out how to fashion a new one. What do Chileans <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/22/chiles-momentous-referendum-on-its-constitution?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stand to gain</a>—and to lose? Rising populations of the elderly in the world’s prisons are creating <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/07/the-pandemic-is-boosting-efforts-to-get-the-old-out-of-prison?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deepening problems</a>, both for jailers and the jailed. And we explore <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/10/24/can-too-many-brainy-people-be-a-dangerous-thing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a theory</a> that blames political chaos on too many would-be elites.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

America’s final presidential debate had <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/23/donald-trump-and-joe-biden-press-their-mute-buttons?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less noise and more substance</a>. But polls seem immovable and nearly 50m Americans have already voted; will the race change? South Korea’s population-boosting efforts have failed, so it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/south-korea-wants-mothers-to-work-to-bolster-the-labour-force?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">encouraging more women</a> into the workforce—and that will redress some long-standing inequalities. And crunching 70 years’ worth of Formula 1 data to find <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/17/engineers-not-racers-are-the-true-drivers-of-success-in-motor-sport?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the sport’s true greatest</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

As it has with so many other trends, the pandemic has <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/10/17/the-pandemic-has-eroded-democracy-and-respect-for-human-rights?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hastened the decline</a> of democracy and human rights; covid-19 provides autocrats with perfect cover. The plummeting price for the cobalt that powers electronics has <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/17/in-congo-the-little-guys-are-jailed-for-stealing-minerals?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">upended lives</a> and driven crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/17/does-sound-like-light-have-a-maximum-speed?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how physicists found</a> an upper bound for the speed of sound. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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

<p>Reporting by <em>The Economist</em> reveals deepening efforts by Chinese authorities not just to imprison the Muslim-minority people but also <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/17/the-persecution-of-the-uyghurs-is-a-crime-against-humanity?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to reduce their number</a>, to wipe out their culture and <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/15/if-i-speak-out-they-will-torture-my-family-voices-of-uyghurs-in-exile?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to hound them</a> wherever in the world they may go. Yet a visit to Yunnan province reveals that the party’s hostility to ethnic minorities <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/10/pictographs-survive-in-a-chinese-tourist-town?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is not absolute</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

After a term spent steering the country through crises, Jacinda Ardern has led her Labour party to <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/17/jacinda-arderns-quiet-competence-triumphs-in-new-zealand?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a thumping victory</a>; what will they do with their historic majority? Far from taking on water as the pandemic progresses, the shipping industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/10/how-covid-19-put-wind-in-shipping-companies-sails?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">steaming ahead</a>. And as museums sell off parts of their collections, we consider art’s value beyond the dollar signs. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After last year’s vote was marred by fraud allegations, <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/15/fresh-elections-and-perhaps-a-fresh-start-for-bolivia?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the electorate is split</a> ahead of Sunday’s poll: will the country return the socialist MAS party of exiled leader Evo Morales to power? A private tutor to the rich and anxious <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/10/09/first-class-flights-chauffeurs-and-bribery-the-secret-life-of-a-private-tutor?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveals the costs</a>—to students and tutors—of heightened academic pressure. And a new book yields a <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/10/10/for-he-will-consider-jeoffry-the-poets-cat?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cat’s-eye view</a> of 18th-century London.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Angry protests following an alleged police killing continue, even after a hated police unit was shuttered. That exposes far-deeper discontent. Banks’ earnings this week show that belt-tightening earlier in the year has held them in good stead. What to do with the growing cash-pile? And misguided infrastructure plans have many Egyptians in a roads rage.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Rhetoric and sabre-rattling from mainland China are rapidly ramping up; we examine the risk of an invasion that would have <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/10/defending-taiwan-is-growing-costlier-and-deadlier?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">global consequences</a>. A decision by World Rugby to ban trans women from the women’s game <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/09/a-ban-by-world-rugby-could-prove-influential-for-transgender-sports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stokes</a> a notoriously ill-tempered debate. And listening to <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/10/01/making-music-from-the-sounds-of-endangered-british-birds?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an album</a> built entirely from the songs of endangered British birds.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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

<p>By the numbers to date, Sweden's light-touch covid-19 measures may not seem successful. But its pragmatism takes an <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/10/the-real-lessons-from-swedens-approach-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instructively long view</a> of the pandemic. China’s high-level party machinery brooks no political dissent; among street-level functionaries, stories of disobedience and tolerance are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/03/to-buy-peace-officials-in-china-tolerate-some-forms-of-disobedience?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more nuanced</a>. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/10/10/a-new-device-may-help-stop-the-robbery-of-turtles-nests?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">devilishly clever way</a> to stem the poaching of endangered turtles’ eggs.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Citizens are furious after a poll seemingly tainted by vote-buying; its annulment leaves a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/07/angry-kyrgyz-rebel-against-a-tainted-election-for-the-third-time?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">power vacuum</a> that may yet draw in China and Russia. An author’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/09/12/life-of-a-klansman-brings-the-past-out-of-the-closet?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">journey</a> through the history of America’s racist militias, including the Ku Klux Klan, starts with his own family tree. And why not everyone is happy with Europe’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/26/the-problem-of-the-eus-golden-passports?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“golden passport” schemes</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>That a housefly could steal the show at America’s only vice-presidential debate is telling, but a discussion with <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/08/mike-pence-v-kamala-harris-ends-in-a-normal-sort-of-a-draw?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more substance than bombast</a> was a welcome respite. Cuba is experiencing its worst food crisis in decades, and that at last <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/10/10/with-shop-shelves-bare-cuba-mulls-economic-reforms?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may spur changes</a> to its confused and market-distorting dual-currency system. And geopolitics <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/09/26/even-as-countries-peck-at-each-other-their-birdwatchers-co-operate?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sticks its beak</a> into an enormous annual bird migration.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A pilgrimage that is sure to become a covid-19 hotspot is a sign of how much the country’s government is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/03/iraq-is-too-broken-to-protect-itself-from-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">losing legitimacy</a> to its clergymen and tribal leaders. Social-media giants’ efforts to scrub violent content from their platforms simultaneously <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/21/social-media-platforms-are-destroying-evidence-of-war-crimes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hobbles</a> efforts to bring war criminals to justice. And why south-west England <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/10/03/cornish-miners-hope-to-profit-from-the-shift-to-electric-cars?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may soon be reviving</a> its long-lost mining industry. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Britain’s prime minister will outline big wind-energy plans at his party’s annual conference, even as the pandemic and Brexit blow his government <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/09/05/competence-matters-and-johnson-hasnt-got-it?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">off course</a>. The sombre tone at a thanksgiving festival in Ethiopia reveals how the country’s largest ethnic group is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/09/19/ethiopias-democratic-transition-is-in-peril?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">not getting the reforms</a> it was promised. And a carcinogenic nut that remains <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/10/03/a-risky-stimulant-thrives-in-chinas-capital-of-chewing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wildly popular</a> in China.</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>Amid a flurry of conflicting information over the weekend, details of Donald Trump’s progress and prognosis remain worryingly unclear. How will this <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/10/04/donald-trumps-illness-may-shorten-the-odds-of-his-losing-the-election?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brush with the virus</a> change the campaign, or the president? Asia’s migrant workers had difficult, precarious lives that the pandemic <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/09/19/asias-migrant-workers-are-having-a-rough-time-under-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">made even worse</a>; only now are matters improving. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/03/what-do-dua-lipa-rita-ora-and-ava-max-have-in-common?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">perplexing preponderance</a> of Albanian pop stars. </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>

Unexpected defeats at rebels’ hands, a cratered economy, a hungry citizenry and a runaway covid-19 epidemic: <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/09/26/victory-for-bashar-al-assad-has-meant-more-suffering-for-his-people?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">can anything unseat</a> Bashar al-Assad? When Germany reunified, many worried it would upset the balance of Europe; 30 years on and if anything the country <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/03/thirty-years-after-reunification-germany-is-shouldering-more-responsibility?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">must wield more</a> of its power. And celebrating <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/09/26/hercule-poirot-turns-100?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the centenary</a> of Agatha Christie’s most beloved detective, Hercule Poirot. 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>

The region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been the subject of dispute and skirmishes for decades—but <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/28/armenia-and-azerbaijan-fight-over-nagorno-karabakh-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the current conflict</a> threatens to draw in both Turkey and Russia. Rule changes accelerated by the pandemic have revealed <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/09/19/the-pandemic-shows-a-better-way-to-handle-abortion?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a better way</a> to handle early-stage abortions. And, <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/09/26/why-funnel-web-spiders-are-so-dangerous-to-people?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unravelling the mystery</a> of the funnel-web spider’s deadly bite. 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>America’s first presidential debate was <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/09/30/a-dismal-presidential-debate-will-leave-voters-unimpressed?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unmitigated chaos</a>, revealing little more than the rancour between the candidates. In Chicago a newish musical genre called <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/09/03/an-ethnographers-study-of-drill-music-and-gang-violence-in-chicago?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drill</a> has a strong relation to the city’s gang violence; we ask whether it is a causal one. And amid a global rise in hand-washing, we look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/09/11/lather-me-than-you-the-joy-of-soap?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fascinating, fragrant history</a> of soap.</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>Just ahead of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/09/28/american-presidential-debates-rarely-change-election-outcomes?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first presidential debate</a>, a trove of tax documents suggests the president has some staggeringly loss-making businesses and a staggering amount of debt coming due. We examine China’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/24/china-aims-to-cut-its-net-carbon-dioxide-emissions-to-zero-by-2060?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pledge</a> to become carbon-neutral by 2060 and what it will have to do to get there. And why a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/26/upcoming-referendums-will-show-how-the-swiss-may-relate-to-the-eu?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Swiss referendum</a> campaign involved a giant game of pick-up-sticks.</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>