Governments’ rapid responses to a new coronavirus strain were wise. But much is still to be learned about the Omicron variant before longer-term policies can be prescribed. Vietnam’s government wants to create internationally competitive firms, and a growing new class of billionaires suggests the plan is working. And research suggests that social distancing comes naturally to bees under pathogenic threat. Have your say about “The Intelligence” in our survey here www.economist.com/intelligencesur...
Nov 29, 2021•21 min
As President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps pushing his upside-down economic ideas, the currency plummets and an immiserated population grows restless. Sunday’s presidential election in Honduras will be a test of the country’s democracy; fears abound of the deadly protests that marred the last vote. And our obituaries editor reflects on the life of Rossana Banti , a storied, lifelong anti-fascist campaigner. Have your say about “The Intelligence” in our survey here www.economist.com/intelligencesurv...
Nov 26, 2021•23 min
A three-way coalition has struck a deal to govern. We ask who’s who among top ministers and what’s what on the newly centre-left agenda. A shortage of lorry drivers has sharpened Britain’s supply-chain woes; our correspondent hitches a ride with one, finding why it is such a hard job to fill. And what Maine’s new “right to food” actually means. Have your say about “The Intelligence” in our survey here www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey . And for full access to print, digital and audio editions...
Nov 25, 2021•23 min
Prices are up all over, especially in America. But whether the world’s largest economy is part of the problem or just suffering the same symptoms will determine how to fix it . Autocratic leaders of middling-sized countries are having a field day as America has relinquished its world-policeman role. And what makes some languages fail to develop a word for blue? For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here Have your say about “The Intelligence” in our sur...
Nov 24, 2021•22 min
A Delta wave is driving restrictions and restrictions are driving unrest . Vaccine mandates like that enacted by Austria may be the only way to end the cycle. We examine the dim prospects for Peng Shuai , a Chinese tennis star who accused a senior politician of sexual assault. And a broader view of modern art at the UAE’s new Guggenheim museum . Have your say about “The Intelligence” in our survey here www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey . And for full access to print, digital and audio edition...
Nov 23, 2021•22 min
The presidential election will now go to a run-off—between candidates of political extremes. We ask how that polarisation will affect promised constitutional reform. Our correspondent visits Mali to witness the largest current Western push against jihadism, finding that governments and peacekeepers in the Sahel are losing the war . And women seek a more level playing field in competitive gaming. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist....
Nov 22, 2021•21 min
Some factors that drive relentless growth in state spending are eternal; some are getting stronger. Our correspondent outlines a big-government future . We examine how MacKenzie Scott, an accidental billionaire, is revolutionising big-money philanthropy. And Moroccan hoteliers rail against a law that forbids beds for the unwed. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Nov 19, 2021•22 min
Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president, is seven weeks into a hunger strike and protests supporting him are proliferating. We ask where the country is headed. China’s state-sponsored industrial espionage is growing more overt and more organised —and little can be done to stop it. And how to figure out the past tense of verbs like “green-light” and “gaslight”. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acas...
Nov 18, 2021•22 min
The meeting between superpower presidents was cordial and careful, but it will take far more than a video call to smooth such frosty relations. Europe once had an enviable international rail network—one it must revive if the bloc is to meet its climate targets. And the costly and sometimes dangerous lengths South Koreans are going to for flattering photographs. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Aca...
Nov 17, 2021•20 min
White roses, white sheets hung from homes, even white t-shirts: a movement’s symbolic colour was not much in evidence after officials quashed national protests. Part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to wean its economy off oil is to entice lots of tourists; we ask how likely that is to work. And gut bugs beget a bigger bounty of blackcurrant berries. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
Nov 16, 2021•20 min
The ruling party got a pasting at the polls, owing in part to a reeling economy . We ask what the opposition’s gains mean for the country. The practice of assisted dying is being enshrined in law the world over; we examine the ethical dimensions of its spread. And why electric vehicles failed to keep their market dominance a century ago. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...
Nov 15, 2021•20 min
The climate summit in Glasgow is in its last official day, but looks sure to overrun as negotiators thrash out an agreement. When the talking’s over, what will count as success? The rise of film franchises and streaming is taking the shine off Hollywood’s top stars . And we hatch a tale of unusual births among North America’s biggest birds. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
Nov 12, 2021•20 min
As the economy has deteriorated and the internet has bypassed television, persecution of opponents has become the president’s main tool of political control. Even the pandemic has been harnessed to silence dissent. An Economist film reports on the young women standing up to Vladimir Putin. And in China, there’s a more subdued background to the Singles’ Day online shopping splurge. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenc...
Nov 11, 2021•20 min
Around 2,000 people from the Middle East are at the European Union’s eastern frontier . Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic Belarusian president, promised them passage to the EU. They are pawns in a long dispute and their plight is bleak. Tension is mounting in north Africa , between Algeria and Morocco. And who said words were cheap? The cost of newsprint is soaring. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hoste...
Nov 10, 2021•21 min
Americans born at the bottom of the economic ladder find it harder than past generations—or their peers abroad—to climb to the top. The president has plans to change that . But he’s already having to scale them back. Concrete may be a super-spouter of carbon dioxide, but it can go green. And a new style of book review is flourishing on TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 09, 2021•21 min
Over four days in Beijing, the political and military elite are meeting to recast the past . The revised version will depict Xi Jinping as a giant of the stature of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping—and justify his continued rule. More Africans are migrating , mostly within their own continent. And Hollywood is examining its navel. It doesn’t like what it finds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 08, 2021•20 min
Few imagined when Ethiopia’s civil war began a year ago that the capital, Addis Ababa, would come under threat from Tigrayan rebels. We explain why the tide has turned. At this time of year, India’s deadliest environmental problem—its toxic air —is at its worst. And the Chinese Comminust Party is cracking down on burning gifts for the dead . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
Nov 05, 2021•22 min
At the global climate summit, more than 100 countries have promised to end deforestation by 2030. Similar promises have been made before, but might this time be different? America’s Supreme Court dives into the thorny topics of abortion and gun rights. And we report on the peculiar economics of African cities where the UN has set up shop. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
Nov 04, 2021•23 min
For the first time since the end of white rule, South Africa’s governing African National Congress is set to win less than half the vote, albeit in local polls. We explain its slide in popularity . After a dreadful 2020, Italy has had a happier 2021; what’s prime minister Mario Draghi’s next move? And we check out the rhythm of Bangladesh’s underground club scene. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on ...
Nov 03, 2021•21 min
More than a year after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis policeman, the city votes on an overhaul of its force. We examine America’s shifting debate over police reform. Cryptocurrencies have taken off in Cuba; but the communist authorities want control . And light may be shed on the mystery of the reproductive habits—and extraordinary migration—of eels. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Ac...
Nov 02, 2021•21 min
World leaders are gathering in Glasgow for the UN climate summit. Can they agree on the path to meeting the goals set in Paris six years ago, to stabilise global temperatures? We weigh up the chances. Sex work is illegal almost everywhere in America; a growing movement wants that to change. And why Britain’s TV-production industry is booming. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Nov 01, 2021•21 min
The Islamic Republic is closer than ever to a bomb’s worth of fissile material. Talks with America and other countries will resume next month, but hopes of an agreement are fading. Is war inevitable? Chinese media are not allowed to report on the #MeToo movement, but the Communist Party is taking up some feminist causes . We consider the paradox of women’s rights in modern China. And we look back at the life of Anne Saxelby , a pioneering American cheesemonger, who has died aged 40. For full acc...
Oct 29, 2021•23 min
After a year of breakneck growth, the big five tech companies—Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft—are coming back down to earth. We look at how the pandemic has changed the industry and spurred on smaller firms. Serbia’s military build-up is making its neighbours nervous. The country’s president tells us why he’s been amassing arms. And evolution usually unfolds over millions of years. But new research into Mozambique’s tuskless elephants suggests that it can be turbocharged by human...
Oct 28, 2021•22 min
Two months after the Taliban’s victory, civilians face a looming disaster. Will Western governments dig their heels in, or turn the aid taps back on? India’s government has increasingly turned to high-tech means for delivering government services. But its digital-first solutions are inaccessible to millions of citizens. And we look at the business of renting clothing, as Rent the Runway goes public with a sky-high valuation. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist ,...
Oct 27, 2021•21 min
Just as the country was moving towards democracy, its generals have overthrown the civilians—again. We look at what sparked the unrest, and why coups in Africa are on the rise. Ecuador declared a state of emergency last week over a wave of violent crime. It’s just one of several headaches for Guillermo Lasso, the country’s president. And we explain why you have an accent in a foreign language. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.co...
Oct 26, 2021•23 min
Covid certificates are a global mess, with countries operating a patchwork of incompatible systems. We look at why it’s so difficult to standardise digital health passes. When the results of Uzbekistan’s elections are published today, the only surprise will be the margin of victory for Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the country’s autocratic leader since 2016. The question is how far he can take his agenda of economic and political reform . And Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), a way of representing ownership of ...
Oct 25, 2021•20 min
President Jair Bolsonaro’s early dismissal of the pandemic as “a little flu” presaged a calamitous handling of the crisis. We ask how a congressional investigation’s dramatic assessment of his non-actions may damage him. China’s test of a hypersonic, nuclear-capable glider may rattle the global weapons order. And our obituaries editor reflects on the life of level-headed American statesman Colin Powell . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.e...
Oct 22, 2021•22 min
Criminal gangs in north-western states, jihadists in the north-east, a rebellion in the south-east: kidnappers, warlords and cattle rustlers are making the country ungovernable . The new head of Samsung Electronics has a legacy to build—and aims to do so by breaking into the cut-throat business of processor chips . And the sci-fi classic “Dune” gets a good cinematic treatment at last. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelli...
Oct 21, 2021•24 min
Russia continues to pile pressure on the country, and will soon have the power to cut off its natural gas. Our correspondent pays a visit to find how Ukrainians cope . The simplest solution to renewables’ intermittency is to move electricity around—but that requires vast new international networks of seriously beefy cables . And Canada’s version of American football is wasting away . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intellig...
Oct 20, 2021•20 min
Sir David Amess was killed doing what he loved: speaking directly with voters. We examine the dangers inherent in the “ constituency surgeries ” that British politicians cherish. The fight against tuberculosis is made harder by mutations that confer drug resistance; we look at research that has traced nearly every one of them. And why Andy Warhol is big in Iran, again. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hoste...
Oct 19, 2021•21 min
