The Intelligence from The Economist

Our correspondent visits town after devastated town. Poorly enforced building codes are one clear factor in the rising death toll—and a political backlash looms. Britain’s productivity problem is at least partly a problem with bad managers; we look at the substantial gains to be had from better-run companies. And the valuable data to come from an ambitious, national-scale sex survey . For full acc...

Young voters are fired up and the electoral system has been strengthened, but Nigeria’s challenges are considerable. We explore why this month’s vote offers an opportunity to turn the country around. Our correspondent says that China’s economic reopening may have limited effects outside China. And why some psychotherapists object to how films and TV shows portray their work. For full access to pri...

America’s Congress may be gridlocked, but its state legislatures certainly aren’t. The laws they’ll pass this year will probably impact more people more directly than anything Congress does, with just a fraction of the public attention. Why things are looking up for Meta . And reflecting on the legacy and achievements of Pervez Musharraf , Pakistan’s former president. For full access to print, dig...

The race for AI supremacy is on. Microsoft, Google, Baidu and a host of smaller firms are all placing bets on the technology’s future. Which version emerges on top may well determine how people find information online for decades to come. Luxury offices are a bright spot in the commercial real-estate doldrums. And why inflation is stalking Europe’s sweet treats . For full access to print, digital...

Amid unthinkable destruction and loss of life , we examine the factors that will frustrate relief efforts following earthquakes in an already troubled region. As President Joe Biden prepares to welcome a new chief of staff, we speak with the author who literally wrote the book on America’s second-most-powerful government job. And Argentina’s newest musical export repurposes an American genre born...

American fighters shot down a balloon that China says was monitoring the weather, but America insists was spying. It was a minor incident, but it highlights the relationship of a great-power rivalry with inadequate guardrails. Our correspondent visits a market in Mumbai to see what might be lost as India’s economy formalises .  And some surprising—and worrying—data puncturing the myth about t...

As part of The Economist ’s new series on the remaking of the country's economy , our correspondent looks at the Biden administration’s audacious industrial plans. Russia’s media outlets have been relentlessly squeezed, so many have set up newsrooms in exile; we examine the rise of “ offshore journalism ”. And reflecting on the life of Gina Lollobrigida , a remarkable, irrepressible, impenitent It...

The country remains riven by unrest since the “self-coup” and subsequent arrest of its president in December; only an early election might bring a return to calm. Our correspondent goes shopping to discover the spending habits of Generation Z and millennials. And examining the work of Tom Lehrer, a mathematician who was an unlikely midwife at the birth of modern satire. For full access to print, d...

The Adani Group, one of India’s biggest conglomerates, has come under fire from a tiny American research firm. A successful secondary share sale amid a rout in the markets leaves many questions —and proves revealing about India Inc. Our correspondent explains why Mexico is so well-placed to navigate the electric-vehicle transition. And the unlikely rise of MAGA rap artists . For full access to pri...

Fixing the complex, creaking pension system remains central to President Emmanuel Macron’s agenda of reforms . But leaving it alone is central to French identity—so workers are striking, again, in huge numbers. Our correspondent lays out why 2023’s first earnings season is so gloomy . And America is providing more legal protections for polyamorous “throuples”. For full access to print, digital and...

The response to the death of the 29-year-old has differed from that of previous cases of police killings; we ask what the tragedy indicates about how America deals with police violence. Our correspondent says a lawmaker’s murder in Afghanistan highlights the misery of women under the Taliban. And why a decades-old model of animal and human learning is under fire .  For full access to print, d...

South Africa’s infrastructure —its ports, railways and power grid—are struggling and poorly managed. Ordinary South Africans are increasingly fed up. We profile Russia’s new military commander in Ukraine. And our obituaries editor remembers one of Britain’s finest rural writers. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoff...

Israel’s right-wing coalition government has the country’s supreme court in its sights. Their proposal to effectively subjugate its independence to the legislature has sparked protests and stirred concern for the country’s democracy. Our correspondent reports from a newly reopened Shanghai . And how gas stoves became the latest battleground in America’s endless culture wars. For full access to pri...

After months of foot-dragging, Germany is sending tanks to Ukraine, with America poised to follow suit. We examine how that could reshape the battlefield. Why Sudan’s democratic transition has stalled and its economy is struggling. And we reveal the secret to perfectly cooked chips . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligen...

Around one-fifth of Ukraine’s population has fled. The country’s GDP has plummeted and foreign investors are staying away. Even as the fighting rages, the world has already begun thinking about how to rebuild the country . How a 36-year-old treaty helped heal the ozone layer . And why the pandemic did not lead to a wave of job-killing automation . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand’s prime minister last week. As Chris Hipkins prepares to take over, we reflect on Ms Ardern’s legacy, and look at the challenges her successor inherits. What the world’s plethora of grandparents means for families. And which issues currently motivate America’s far-right. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here ww...

The global elite’s annual Alpine jamboree may have lost some of its convening power, our editor-in-chief says, but the many encounters it enables still have enormous value . Our correspondent considers what the closing of Noma, a legendary Danish restaurant, means for the world of fine dining. And remembering Adolfo Kaminsky , whose expertly forged documents saved thousands of Jews’ lives.  F...

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismantled the country’s institutions. As an election looms we ask what democratic guardrails remain, and examine the wider risks if those go, too. “Non-compete” clauses designed to protect trade secrets when employees depart are being abused—and trustbusters are going after them . And Ryuichi Sakamoto, a famed Japanese composer, reckons with mortality in his lat...

For nearly 11 months Western powers have resisted providing tanks to Ukraine, fearing an unpredictable Russian escalation. What happens now that red line has rightly been crossed? Bankruptcy proceedings simply are not built to untangle the mess left behind by the implosion of FTX, a spectacularly failed crypto firm. And what California’s deadly floods reveal about its climate future. For full acce...

Through years of Syria’s messy civil war, Turkey has been a foe. As the conflict slowly fades, the countries have a mutual interest in rapprochement. Can they find common ground? Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s return as Brazil’s president renews a mission close to his heart: ameliorating the country’s widespread hunger. And why atheism is still taboo for America’s lawmakers. For full access to print,...

A drip-feed of discoveries of classified material in Joe Biden’s home and offices—and the president’s botched messaging around them—are a gift to Republicans and to Donald Trump, who is under investigation for similar infractions. Our correspondent learns that many Ukrainian soldiers are freezing their sperm before heading to battle. And the fight about hunting in France is no small-boar matter. F...

Countries across the world are turning inward , embracing protectionism, subsidies and export controls. This threatens the global order that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, and risks economic conflict. Ethiopia’s newfound peace looks fragile and uncertain . And Mexico’s ballads that critics claim glorify criminality, but fans argue celebrate loyalty, ingenuity and hard work. For fu...

Iran’s protests may have gone quiet for the moment, but that does not mean they’ve been defeated. Beneath a calmer surface, Iranians are seething and biding their time. India’s pharma sector is huge, but has long been dogged by concerns about quality control. And we reveal last year’s most newsworthy subject . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here w...

Britain’s National Health Service is in crisis . Wait times are rising, nurses and paramedics are striking, and doctors are overworked—leading to hundreds of excess deaths each week. We visit the front line: a stretched GP’s surgery in Wales. We ask why Germany and Poland love to hate each other. And what America’s army is doing to slim down its overweight recruits. For full access to print, digit...

Russian troops have turned Bakhmut , in eastern Ukraine, into a charnel house—and a proving ground for its mercenary army. The booming North Sea region could reshape Europe’s economy. And how women across the Middle East are taking their sexuality into their own hands. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted...