The Intelligence from The Economist

The visit of Xi Jinping, China’s president, to Moscow may seem like the solidifying of a simple, anti-Western alliance. But China is walking a delicate line to look after its own interests. A growing minority of young people simply do not want to drive; that will have consequences far beyond roadways. And research on colonising the Moon goes underground . For full access to print, digital and audi...

The economics are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world vastly outweigh those of felling trees. We travel to the Amazon and find that the problem is largely down to lawlessness in the world’s rainforests. And reflecting on the life of Oe Kenzaburo , a Japanese writer shaped by family crisis who gave voice to the voiceless. For full access to print, digital and audio editions...

Proposed legislation that would hobble the judiciary has led to relentless demonstrations—and exposed a rift in Israeli society that has become dangerous to Binyamin Netanyahu and the country as a whole. Artificial intelligence is boosting online search, and bolstering publishers’ arguments that search engines owe them a piece of the pie. And the reasons behind Britain’s tomato rationing . For ful...

From today’s national budget to hardline immigration legislation to international defence pacts , Britain’s prime minister is working hard to extract his Tory party from a deep electoral hole. The Kremlin is trying to extend its reach into Russia’s cultural spaces —but its incomplete success is telling. And a listen to the work of Brad Mehldau, perhaps today’s most eminent jazz pianist. For full a...

After internecine drama, the opposition-party alliance has picked their man . The bookish, mild-mannered Kemal Kilicdaroglu may be the best possible president, but also the worst possible candidate when Turkey’s democracy is flagging. We examine why a new UN high-seas treaty, decades in the making, is so significant . And Thailand’s “Boys’ Love” gay TV dramas are an ever-growing cultural export ....

An old-fashioned bank run has caused American regulators to intervene in a big way to save the bank’s depositors. We ask what went wrong, and what risks the fix will pose. Today America, Australia and Britain will cement a military alliance designed to confront an increasingly assertive China. And an Ethiopian prince buried among English kings reignites questions about cultural restitution. For fu...

The world’s biggest military donor to Ukraine, relative to GDP, is Estonia. Kaja Kallas, its prime minister, just won a resounding victory in an election that was effectively a referendum on continued support for Ukraine. Why some South Koreans are unhappy at a deal to compensate citizens forced to work for Japanese companies. And looking back at the often painful life of the King of Sting . Addit...

The risk of a Sino-American war over Taiwan appears to be growing. Our diplomatic editor assesses the frightening prospects and possible damage. Mexicans protest the weakening of the country’s independent elections agency. And why Connecticut has been exonerating those accused of witchcraft nearly four centuries ago. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe...

Economists and politicians around the world are consumed with one question: is the world headed for a recession, or a relatively soft landing? We’ll tell you what clues the American property market offers. Why China’s football team can’t seem to find its feet. And why rap lyrics are increasingly treated as confessions of guilt in American courts. For full access to print, digital and audio edition...

Ukraine is using a torrent of Western arms and training to prepare for a spring offensive. We learn why being on a corporate board of directors—or recruiting for one—is more difficult than ever . And we ask why one particular composition of Vivaldi’s has become ubiquitous. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hos...

A policy of ambiguity is swiftly shifting; the country is falling into a Sino-Russian orbit at just the time it needs the most help from Western allies. How learning to debate can improve the lives of those inside and released from New York City’s biggest prison. And meeting a street artist who decorates the wreckage of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. For full access to print, digital and audio ed...

A slump in tech is driving investors to rediscover old ways . Out are the cash-splashing long bets; in are smaller, profitable, strategic firms. Nigeria’s election was pitched as the most transparent ever. It was not . We ask what is likely to happen now. And chilli crisp , a Chinese condiment with a deep history, is a study in how foods become fads. For full access to print, digital and audio edi...

Shifts in the garment industry, which powered development in the country, represent one risk; meagre currency reserves are another. Yet nothing so imperils Bangladesh’s economic miracle as graft and patronage at the highest levels. How does North Korea afford its flashy weapons programme? Crypto scams of eye-watering scope . And the newsmaking history of BBC Monitoring’s radio translators. For ful...

The Belt and Road initiative to encircle much of the world with Chinese-funded, Chinese-built infrastructure is growing leaner and more penny-wise . But its ambitions are undimmed. Energy-market turmoil has given a boost to the green transition—a boost that has come with hard truths about the shift’s costs. And a television show about Jesus Christ becomes an unlikely hit . For full access to print...

Since Brexit’s earliest days, the trade status of Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland have been a perilous sticking point. We examine a deal that might— and should —resolve matters at last. Our correspondent looks at all the plush office space being converted into family homes . And an obituary for the ruined city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. For full access to print, di...

Excitement still surrounds the spoiler candidate Peter Obi , whose down-to-earth ways appeal to a large constituency of fed-up youths. We look at the early returns. A year ago Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, announced a tremendous shift in defence policy and funding; we ask how far the warship has turned since then. And remembering Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite composer . For full access to pri...

After a year of a conflict that was predicted to last just days, we examine the battle lines—seeing an opportunity for Ukraine that may not come around again. We look at the strains on Russian civil society by speaking with self-exiled citizens. And one Ukrainian woman who returned to Kharkiv tells us how the war has changed her. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economis...

Markets seem to think the worst is over; central bankers are not so sure . We ask why determining the trajectory of inflation is so difficult. Millions of refugees have poured out of Ukraine since the war began; their uncertain futures make setting up home tricky—for them and their host countries’ governments. And how technology is transforming the sport of ice fishing. For full access to print, d...

President Joe Biden’s riposte to the bellicose speech of his counterpart Vladimir Putin was a study in contrast. We examine their views on Ukraine and ask how a lasting peace could be secured. We speak with an exiled Chinese blogger trying to get the truth about that conflict into his homeland. And why the young are leaving Japan to seek greater fortunes abroad. For full access to print, digital a...

Particulate matter is shortening lives and hobbling economies in the region. We ask how policy changes and international collaboration could mitigate the suffering as the pollution spreads . Our correspondent meets with two Russian men who, fearing being drafted, made a hair-raising journey by dinghy from their homeland’s far east. And why Seventh Day Adventists seem to live longer lives .  F...

The country’s war-torn north-west has been getting far less aid than it needs in the earthquakes’ aftermath. We investigate the dilemma of lifting long-running international sanctions. Housing prices are slipping across the rich world, but South Korea’s unusual property market makes that slide far more perilous . And what three decades’-worth of data reveal about crafting a pop hit . For full acce...

Charitable giving is being disrupted by the same youthful tech folk who got rich disrupting other sectors: these days it is fast, data-driven and bureaucracy-light. We meet a new class of investors who trade shares from behind bars. And reflecting on the life of Maya Widmaier-Picasso , who spent her childhood painting alongside her father, becoming an expert on his work. For full access to print,...

Nicola Sturgeon is bowing out after shaping a party that has defined itself on the notion of Scottish independence. What now for Scotland and for Britain more broadly? Our correspondent says that France’s protests against pension reform are about far more than the stereotype of being workshy. And the surprising information spies could gather from your home’s Wi-Fi router . For full access to print...

Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and UN ambassador, has declared her 2024 presidential candidacy. We assess her chances and survey the field. Intimidation and financial pressure are quashing journalism in the Arab world. And a new film tenderly imagines what it means to be a donkey. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist...

The petrostates of the Gulf are modernising their economies, growing more tolerant and liberalising their social contracts as they prepare for a world run on fewer hydrocarbons—but who will be left behind? A Chinese maker of electric vehicles prepares to steal a march on Tesla. And a look at Britain’s newest islands reveals they are made of wet wipes. For full access to print, digital and audio ed...