The Intelligence from The Economist

Clashes in Khartoum have turned deadly as two rival military factions fight for power. As the conflict escalates, a transition to civilian rule could be in jeopardy. Europe’s cities have a worrying pollution problem and clearing the air is proving difficult. And a new way to measure the environmental impact of food.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It will be years until the country recovers from February’s devastating earthquakes—but progress toward that goal will determine whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins another mandate next month. Oft-overlooked data suggest that Africa’s baby boom is slowing, in a “demographic transition” the world has seen before. And remembering Traute Lafrenz, the last leafleter of the “White Rose” Nazi resistance.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The International Monetary Fund is sitting on oodles of cash, but failing to disburse it. We examine why China’s lending practices are putting the IMF on a path to irrelevance. Climate change is already squeezing farmers in Latin America; some outright crazy agricultural policies are making matters worse. And reasons not to ban a well-known workplace species: the “talented jerk”.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A trove of once-secret documents is proving an embarrassment to both America and its allies, and a danger to Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive. The tech industry is shedding workers at a striking pace; we ask where all those laid-off experts are going. And more evidence that suggests pet ownership reduces childhood allergies.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The famed power-sharing deal did its work of sharply reducing sectarian violence, but a quarter-century on it has led to depressingly dysfunctional politics. The next generation of vaccines is already on the way—and the first thing to do is get them out of the freezer. And why the long-frothy market for works by Pablo Picasso may at last be cooling.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many people think that with inflation and interest-rate rises abating, the worst effects on housing markets might be over. Not so fast. A study that reignited mask-wearing debates really should not have: there are simply not enough good data to prove either side’s case. And an immersive, participatory production of “Guys and Dolls” shows the way ahead for live-entertainment industries.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These days the gaming industry takes in much more than the global cinema box office. We ask how things are changing, from gamers’ demographics to the games’ content. And a year after our last conversation with Dmytro, a heartsick resident of the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, we check back in to see how he has been.

Additional music courtesy of Sabrepulse.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia’s arrest of a Wall Street Journal correspondent is heading toward a diplomatic crisis—and will certainly chill foreign reporting in the country. It is startlingly easy to siphon money out of America’s social-welfare programmes, but devilishly difficult to thwart those efforts without threatening needy families. And ChatGPT may make things up, but it does so fluently in more than 50 languages.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perhaps the only surprising thing about the former president’s arraignment was that it was not followed by big demonstrations—but he did take to the airwaves to seethe. A global rice crisis is brewing; the world’s most important crop is fuelling both climate change and diabetes. And what connects leased pandas in America and Chinese nationalists’ anger.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On his visit to Beijing Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, has much to balance: his peacemaking ways, a more hawkish travel partner and the commercial interests of his delegation of business leaders. What will result? We ask what is being done to avoid a looming famine in North Korea. And why baseball is getting speedier and more action-packed this season. 

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.