Largely thanks to young, liberal citizens, a reformist third party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election. But a powerful army and influential incumbents could look to prevent its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, taking charge. Bureaucracy is getting in the way of America’s international aid programme. And, with the help of DNA sequencing, a new ocean survey is on the hunt for 100,000 new species. 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.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.