Which country improved the most this year? Nominations poured in from across the editorial department, and the competition was tough, but who came out on top? And our correspondent takes us on a train ride through Europe
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The Intelligence: who wins The Economist’s country of the year?

Every weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance &mdash; as well as science and technology. &nbsp; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News & Politics

News

The death of Ebrahim Raisi will spark succession battles both for the presidency and for supreme leader-in-waiting. What kind of Iran will result? Accusations and evidence of Chinese espionage are stacking up in and raising tensions with Britain (9:57). And how the careers advisers of TikTok are shaping the future of job-hunting (18:54).
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Succession unplanned: Iran’s president killed

Mumbai is famously an open city, known for welcoming all comers, regardless of colour, caste, or creed. 
But as the city goes about building its future, Economist correspondent Leo Mirani, a proud Mumbaikar, fears his city’s character is being buried beneath the rubble.
In this episode of the Weekend Intelligence Leo contemplates how all this construction will change his beloved Bombay, and who the Mumbai of the future is really designed for.
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For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Weekend Intelligence: Bombay, open city?

A bid to squeeze money from social-media platforms that link to news content has backfired: what was intended to help publishers is instead harming them. America’s workers still work more than Europe’s; what is changing is where they do it (9:44). And remembering Shirley Conran, whose books were more than merely saucy: they helped women with everything from money to mathematics (16:22). 
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Swat off the press: Meta v Canada’s news ploy

An attempt on Robert Fico’s life comes at a time of deep-running polarisation in his country—much of which is his own doing. A vote today among auto workers in America’s historically union-unfriendly south will indicate whether an organised-labour revolution can take hold (9:26). And the perception of time varies depending on what you are looking at (17:24).
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Boiling over: an attempt on the Slovakian PM’s life

Michael Cohen has been testifying in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Did the former president’s fixer provide what the prosecution had hoped for? The Middle East has a militia problem. Many of the region’s governments are too weak to keep them down; others simply let them in (10:36). And investigating whether there is more or less sex on the silver screen these days (19:06).
Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Intelligence: who wins The Economist’s country of the year?

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