The Intelligence from The Economist

The world’s biggest strategy consultant has smaller rivals nipping at its heels . As it nears 100 years old, we ask how it will navigate a tricky AI-inflected future. It is already hard enough to fiddle with travel plans to get the cheapest flight. A new thing to consider? Whether you’re flying solo . And in America, women’s-sports bars are proliferating. Get a world of insights by subscribing to...

Donald Trump’s mission to bend higher education to his will maintains its sharpest focus on Harvard. Will the venerable university settle—and should it? Our correspondents meet with France’s top general , who believes Russia will threaten Europe sooner than many people think. And a look at how satire changes when politics is beyond parody and its practitioners cannot be shamed.  Impressions c...

The aims of France, Britain and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state are laudable—but now is not the time to deploy what little leverage they have. AI optimists reckon the era of superintelligence will bring about explosive growth; we ask what that world would look like . And remembering Tom Lehrer , whose rare gift for satirical song skewered anything and anyone. Get a world of insights by s...

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, to use its proper name, is led by Bernard Arnault, who is credited with creating today’s luxury industry. Can he turn the firm around after its missteps? Why do fluffy K-dramas tempt North Koreans to brave the firing squad? It is not the political messages. And our Big Mac index shows trade-tantrum effects on the dollar. Get a world of insights by subscribing t...

President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another ousted president who clung to power. India has surpassed China as Asia’s biggest private-jet buyer , but not only because of rising numbers of super-rich. And Hong Kong’s quirky fusion cafes bloom abroad as they thin out at home. Get a world of insight...

Localised “tactical pauses” in Gaza relieve international pressure on Israel more than they relieve the pressure of starvation on Gazans. We ask how the aid effort looks on the ground. Japan’s law on couples sharing surnames is coming under fire; repealing it might actually help with the birthrate. And how Bad Bunny brought Spanish to the top of the charts .   Get a world of insights by...

The European Union will swallow 15% tariffs in exchange for promises to buy American. We examine the accord and ask what will stick. The English region of the Midlands is unjustly overlooked , our correspondent says; how can it get its due? And Fauja Singh ran his first marathon aged 88—or thereabouts. Our obituaries editor reflects on his relationship with running. Get a world of insights by subs...

The smartphone giant is now making strong inroads in the electric-vehicle market. But can its boss’s belovedness at home translate to success abroad? Britain and Argentina are putting past differences behind them as the South Atlantic becomes a strategic hotspot. And how women’s sports, already sharply on the rise , can get bigger still.  Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Po...

A new bill threatening the independence of anti-corruption agencies has brought Ukrainians onto the streets and rattled international observers. London’s electric bikes are making it ever more a cycling city —and plugging longstanding transport gaps. And a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne , who did perhaps more than anyone to found the genre of heavy metal. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Econom...

Overall, more people are dying from cancer. But a closer look at the numbers reveals just how much success modern medicine has had at making the disease less deadly. The spiraling fortunes of Kraft Heinz since its formation from a merger is a sign of a wider malaise in the food industry. And Germany’s football-playing parliamentarians cannot keep politics off the pitch . Get a world of insights by...

Even as Western countries band together to condemn Israel’s actions, aid remains at a trickle and the war is expanding into a central-Gazan city. We ask how the horrors might end. As with many technologies before it, many worry artificial intelligence will ultimately dumb down its human users; will it ? And why so many American men are injecting testosterone . Get a world of insights by subscribin...

The Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the country’s politics for seven decades, just got a pasting at the polls—again. We ask why staid politics are getting swiftly messy . Iceland is a NATO member in a volatile region; at last it must consider raising its own army . And the tricky balance of company culture, job satisfaction and working from home. Get a world of insights by subscribin...

Once again, commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea are being attacked. Our correspondent explains why Houthi rebels , an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, have regrouped. The islands of Tuvalu are sinking. Now Australia is offering residents the world’s first “climate visas”. And remembering Dutch agronomist Simon Groot . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science...

UK universities are internationally renowned, but their finances are in a mess. Our correspondent offers a lesson in how to fix them. Why an amateur football league is thriving in China. And what Superman tells us about American foreign policy. Listeners of “The Intelligence” get 15% off our business writing and storytelling course. Visit economist.com/writingcourse and use code INTELLIGENCE Liste...

The business model of the internet is built on people visiting sites to find out information. As Artificial Intelligence changes how we navigate the web, our correspondent weighs the long-term consequences. Meet Austria’s “accidental chancellor” Christian Stocker. And fancy a beach holiday in North Korea ?    Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science...

For months, Donald Trump has appeared to back Vladimir Putin. Now, frustrated at the lack of a ceasefire and fed up with Russia, the US president is offering to send weapons to Kyiv. Trust-busters are investigating a whiff of price-fixing in the perfume industry. And why bilingual people may have healthier brains. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and techno...

After Thailand’s constitutional court suspended the country’s prime minister, our correspondent explains the need for fresh elections to avoid economic stagnation – and the possibility of the army stepping in. More celebrities are setting up businesses. And what the sea slug can teach us about evolution. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subs...

On December 8th, 2024, rebels swept into Damascus and ousted Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. One of the first things they did was open up the prisons. Syrians who disappeared years earlier began to emerge from their grim detention cells. Would missing American journalist Austin Tice be among them? In a new three-part series on The Weekend Intelligence , Middle East correspondent, Gareth Browne...

Growth is abysmal; wages are low. But seen from the outside, Britain is a great place to contract services and buy bargain-basement bonds. We explore the opportunities amid the challenges. After months of reporting, our correspondent shares what he learned about Austin Tice , a missing American journalist. And our obituaries editor remembers Jimmy Swaggart , a famed and fallible televangelist. Get...

Immigration is a political lightning rod in part because the ageing global asylum pact is no longer fit for purpose. We examine how best to update it. As paycheques for top-notch AI researchers go stratospheric, demand for rank-and-file coders is quickly cooling . And what a gimmicky free show in London reveals about the city and the nature of modern fame. Get a world of insights by subscribing to...

Once again President Donald Trump extended the deadline for spine-stiffening tariffs to go into effect on trading partners. We look at the effects of all the uncertainty. Brazil once dominated the world of football; we ask where it went wrong and assess the route to a comeback. And England’s historic obsession with trim, green lawns is fading (except at Wimbledon).  Get a world of insights by...

Anglo-French relations have not been so good since before the Brexit vote. Beneath the state-visit pageantry, though, there is much co-operation for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss. Gangs have infiltrated many of Latin America’s mining operations—with violent results . And an ode to Britain’s Shipping Forecast, an inscrutable radio feature that is turning 100 ....

While Israel and Hamas officials discuss a ceasefire via mediators in Qatar, a key meeting will take place at the White House today, when Israel’s prime minister talks to the US president. Why the Chinese Communist Party is removing alcohol from official events. And remembering John Robbins , who spurned his family’s ice-cream business to be a health campaigner.  Listen to what matters most,...

After a landslide victory and promises for radical renewal, Britain’s Labour government is failing in policy and popularity. Our correspondents explain why. Nearly a year after the despotic prime minister of Bangladesh fled, an interview with its new leader on the country’s complex challenges. And why other carmakers struggle to catch up with Ferrari . Listen to what matters most, from global poli...

OnlyFans transformed the online porn industry by making users subscribe for adult content. Now it is rumoured to be up for sale: who might buy it? As the Dalai Lama turns 90, he has announced that he will reincarnate after his death. That will change China-Tibet relations. And how luxury fruit became the latest fashion craze.  Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to...