The Intelligence from The Economist

Opening punch: Shutdown ends, now more Epstein emails

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last night Donald Trump finally managed to end the longest federal government shutdown in history. But, amid a new release of emails relating to convi...

The little green look: China’s energy revolution

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America has boycotted this week’s COP climate talks, but China has sent a giant delegation. The world’s biggest polluter is increasingly pivotal t...

Home alone: the relationship recession

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People are spurning marriage and any other kind of romantic relationship in record numbers. Our correspondents explore the non-dating market. The rise...

British Broadcasting Capitulation: BBC bosses fall

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The BBC’s director-general and head of news have resigned amid accusations of institutional bias. Can the broadcaster recover its reputation? Ukrain...

Heir Jordan: the rising star of France’s populist right

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally party, has a stonking lead in voting-intention polls. His plans, our correspondent says, would put F...

Recall of duty? Trump’s tariffs in court

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just as soon as President Donald Trump started applying sweeping tariffs on trading partners, legal challenges to them started piling up. We listen in...

Into the blue: Democrats win big

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the first electoral test of Donald Trump’s second term, Democrat supporters voted in a socialist mayor of New York and governors to New York and ...

Getting their ships together: America in the Caribbean

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As America sends its biggest naval hardware to the Caribbean, we ask whether the intent is more than mere sabre-rattling—and why the Trump administr...

Capital gained: a grim turn in Darfur

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have at last taken El Fasher, the capital of Darfur. Reported atrocities are sharply rising, in a chilling echo ...

Truce story: (a sketch of) a Trump-Xi trade deal

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to holster their trade weapons for now. But even if the deal holds, it does not address the deeper probl...

Manhattan transfer: New York’s finance folk flee

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taxes upon taxes are just one of the reasons that both financial-industry hotshots and businesses are moving out of the Big Apple. We look at what tha...

War-chest X-ray: how to finance Ukraine

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is edging closer to using seized Russian assets to finance Ukraine. The country badly needs that 140bn-euro windfall—and much, much more. A m...

Bust a vessel: NATO v dark fleets

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ships of unknown origin or intent are flummoxing NATO forces on the high seas. Our correspondent visits the Latvian navy on the Virsaitis as it interc...

Let Milei this out: Argentina’s midterms surprise

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Voters overwhelmingly backed the party of President Javier Milei, handing him a lifeline he was not expected to get. We ask how he can finish his vast...

The great brawl: China is winning the trade war

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend American and Chinese officials are meeting to try and ease tensions over trade after China’s recent decision to restrict rare-earth exp...

Shutting match: what will break the US federal impasse?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The government shutdown in America is now the second-longest on record. Yet there is no apparent urgency to end it, either from Republicans or Democra...

Cocaine and able: drug runners innovate

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America has been blowing up ships in foreign waters suspected of carrying drugs. That will do little to dent today’s narco-business, which is more i...

Rock and rule: Japan’s first female PM

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s new prime minister, rode motorbikes and plays heavy-metal drums. Will her political ambitions be as bold? America, a nation ...

Voices of Gaza: life amid a fragile peace

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ten days into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the truce remains tenuous. Today our correspondent speaks to people on the ground in Gaza about ...

Bolt-on charges: Trump's former adviser is indicted

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John Bolton, a former Trump ally-turned-critic has been charged with mishandling classified information. That raises further fears that the justice de...

Rome run: Meloni’s surprising stamina

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Giorgia Meloni was elected Italy’s prime minister, many people feared she would prove divisive and volatile. Instead, at a time when many other...

Aid pro quo: Trump weaponises foreign help

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After cancelling much of America’s international development funding, President Donald Trump is now using that money to boost friends, allies agains...

Wrong side of the hack: cybercrime grows

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cyberattacks have brought firms like Jaguar Land Rover and Asahi to a standstill. Our correspondent asks what companies and governments should do abou...

Out at last: Israeli hostages return

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump arrived in the Middle East for a victory tour as Israeli captives were finally freed. But the path to peace does not run smooth: Gaza is ...

The Weekend Intelligence: The trial of Yevgenia Berkovich

11 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In May 2024, Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petrichuk, the director and writer of an experimental play, became the first Russian artists since Soviet...

Dune raider: Saudi is a video-game superpower

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, is a huge video-game fan. Now his hobby is becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry for the kingdo...

Finally, a deal: the fragile peace in Gaza

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has brokered an agreement between Israel’s government and Hamas. It’s a momentous breakthrough. Our correspondent analyses what comes...

Liberté, égalité, désordre: chaos in France

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

France’s newly-appointed prime minister has resigned only weeks into the job. Now President Emmanual Macron has given him 48 hours to come up with a...

Man of steel, and aluminium: Carney talks trade with Trump

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The swiftest way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to ease pressure on Canada’s economy is to convince President Donald Trump today to pare back tariff...

One peace at a time: hopeful Gaza talks

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As negotiators gather in Egypt, appetite for a short-term peace seems high on all sides. But there is much ambiguity surrounding a lasting accord. In ...

Chainsaw out of gas? Milei’s experiment wobbles

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A telling local-election loss, persistent allegations of scandal and an American pledge to prop up the peso: much is chipping away at the experiment o...

Space invaders: Russia’s NATO nose-thumbing

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s dark-fleet maritime operations and brazen incursions into NATO airspace appear to be precision-engineered to test Western resolve. We ask h...

Shut happens: US federal funding stops

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After Republicans and Democrats failed to compromise on the budget bill, money to US federal agencies has officially been cut off. Donald Trump threat...

Your peace or mine? Prospects for Gaza deal

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After pressure from US President Donald Trump, Israel’s Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has been strong-armed into agreeing a deal for Gaza. Will Hama...

Fortunes of war: is Russia’s economy slowing?

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The collapse of Russia’s wartime economy has long been foretold, yet massive fiscal stimulus has compensated for the effect of sanctions. Though the...

Under different thumbs: a scant TikTok deal

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump’s executive order ostensibly puts a years-long debate to bed. But questions persist about who will own—and influence—TikT...

Home truths: Ukraine’s internal strains

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A snapshot of the country reveals deepening military and economic problems—and, perhaps above all, political ones. America’s efforts to clamp down...

On warhead be it: Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A long-suspected defence partnership between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has burst into the open. We ask what Pakistan’s extension of its nuclear umbr...

States of disarray: the UN at 80

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Coffers running low and an increasingly absent principal member: the United Nations has never looked so precarious. We discuss its future amid uncerta...

One nation, under God, divisible: Charlie Kirk’s memorial

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Part commemoration, part megachurch meeting, largely political rally—the memorial service for Charlie Kirk revealed much about how the Trump adminis...

JAIpur to MumbAI: US firms invest in India

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

India is becoming one of the largest markets for Artificial Intelligence and shaping how the technology develops. Our correspondent assesses what type...

Wary pharma: AstraZeneca sours on UK

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has paused a £200m investment in Britain and could move its primary listing to America. Can the UK maintain its stat...

Offensive: UN calls it genocide, Israel persists

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new United Nations report says Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute “genocide”. That has not deterred Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime mini...

Honey, we shrunk the kids: population fall

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Falling fertility makes a global decline in population inevitable. That will change the shape and make up of societies. But it may not make us poorer....

Losing the plot: Brazil-US relations tested

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for trying to organise a coup in 2023, Donald Trump accused Brazil of staging a “witch hunt...

When the son comes up: the Murdoch succession battle

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A high-stakes tussle about who will take over Fox and News Corp from Rupert Murdoch has concluded; Lachlan, his eldest son, came out on top. Will the ...

Combative, conservative, cut down: Charlie Kirk

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s most prominent young conservative was assassinated while conducting one of his signature campus events. His death might only widen politic...

Strikes’ price: Israel’s shocking Doha attack

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Qatar had positioned itself as a regional mediator, a safe space for negotiations. Israel’s previously unthinkable airstrikes have put an end to tha...

Buns in ovens: heatwaves and maternal health

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a growing awareness of how high temperatures affect expectant mothers and their babies. We look at the evidence for a climate-change effect t...

Go, fourth? France likely to lose another PM

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An unpopular budget will probably spark the ousting of another prime minister, Francois Bayrou—and with him goes another government. Parliamentary i...

For her eyes only: a new boss at MI6

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the incoming chief of Britain’s secret services takes the helm on October 1st, she must balance competing priorities and navigate a world in wh...

Mission possible: Baghdad is booming

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our correspondent meets Iraq’s prime minister Muhammad al-Sudani to discuss the country’s construction boom, its future aspirations and the obstac...

Sino-the-times: China gathers global allies

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

World leaders flocked to China this week for an international summit followed by a giant military parade commemorating the end of the second world war...

Call the shots: vaccine cuts imperil global health

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s health secretary, RFK Jr, is known for his opposition to vaccines, particularly mRNA jabs, that have the potential to treat a large swathe...

Indonesia ablaze: Riots test Prabowo

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the past week in Indonesia, protesters have taken to the streets and cities have burned. President Prabowo is still popular – now he faces a big...

Split ends: political in-fighting in Israel

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Prime minister Bibi Netanyahu is focused on his own political survival. Our correspondent explains how strategic differences within Israel have shaped...

Chill baby chill: Modi-Trump relations dip

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports to America, among the highest in the world. How will Narendra Modi respond? Why Palantir...

Fed alert: can Trump fire a governor?

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does Donald Trump’s attempt to sack Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, mean for the institution’s independence? Uruguay may soon legalise...

Grand theft global: the business of street crime

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Car and phone theft were once the preserve of petty crooks in London. Now they underpin a vast and spreading international criminal network. Why you s...

That warm buzzy feeling: malaria and climate change

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As temperatures climb, mosquitoes will migrate to places where natural resistance to malaria is lower. More and more severe natural disasters will mak...

Rule and divide: opposition grows in Syria

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Less than nine months after Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the honeymoon is over. How is the new regime responding to rising dissent?...

Stake and chips: will America take 10% of Intel?

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Intel was once synonymous with chip-making, but in recent years it has fallen behind. Now the Trump administration may become its biggest shareholder....

Trouble in paradise: US plans for Pacific war

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With China as its new rival, America is reviving old wartime facilities across the Pacific. Our correspondent visits an abandoned airfield that has be...

On a win and a player: Britain’s gaming prowess

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the world’s biggest gaming fair gets underway, our correspondent looks at the surprising success of Britain, the world’s third-largest exporter...

Peace by piece? Zelensky and Trump meet again

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After an inconclusive summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the stakes are high for Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with ...

A farewell to arms? Hamas considers its options

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Opinions of Hamas are shifting—among its international backers, in Gaza, even within its affiliates’ ranks. If it opts to disarm, what would happe...

Frozen conflict? A special episode in the Arctic

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Norway’s north, a geopolitical quirk may yet transform into a geopolitical conflict. We visit Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago that contains a Rus...

Just getting started: El Salvador’s president for life

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First he came for the gangs; then, for his critics. Now Nayib Bukele has come for El Salvador’s constitution, and there is little to stop him stayin...

Next top model: GPT-5 and its AI rivals

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A look at progress in generative AI shows that OpenAI’s latest, greatest model sits on a neat curve of growing utility over time. But what other fir...

The summit of its parts: Ukraine, Trump and Putin

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is on the table for the meeting in Alaska? What are the red lines? What chance Ukraine would accept what is agreed, especially if its president i...

Not all’s fair: Israel and accountability

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We take an expansive look at how much the Israeli justice system is holding its war machine to account. The results are so far unpromising. The idea, ...

Duty regime: America’s consumers will foot the tariff bill

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As yet another tranche of Donald Trump’s tariffs takes effect, we look at why the duties might outlast him—and how American consumers will ultimat...

Unsteady state: Somalia in disarray

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The country had been on the rise: beating back jihadists, strengthening its federal structure and gaining international stature. That has all reversed...

Consultant management: McKinsey loses its shine

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s biggest strategy consultant has smaller rivals nipping at its heels. As it nears 100 years old, we ask how it will navigate a tricky AI-...

Degrees of freedom? Harvard’s shakedown dilemma

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s mission to bend higher education to his will maintains its sharpest focus on Harvard. Will the venerable university settle—and shou...

State swing: recognising Palestine

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The aims of France, Britain and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state are laudable—but now is not the time to deploy what little leverage they h...

Luxe run out? LVMH

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, to use its proper name, is led by Bernard Arnault, who is credited with creating today’s luxury industry. Can ...

Heavy meddle: Trump and Brazil

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another...

Pause for little effect: a trickle of aid in Gaza

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Localised “tactical pauses” in Gaza relieve international pressure on Israel more than they relieve the pressure of starvation on Gazans. We ask h...

EU gotta know when to hold ‘em: America’s latest trade deal

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The European Union will swallow 15% tariffs in exchange for promises to buy American. We examine the accord and ask what will stick. The English regio...

Xiaomi the way: a Chinese tech giant gets bigger

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The smartphone giant is now making strong inroads in the electric-vehicle market. But can its boss’s belovedness at home translate to success abroad...

Anti-anti-corruption? A bill in Ukraine sparks protests

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new bill threatening the independence of anti-corruption agencies has brought Ukrainians onto the streets and rattled international observers. Londo...

The smaller C: progress in beating cancer

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Overall, more people are dying from cancer. But a closer look at the numbers reveals just how much success modern medicine has had at making the disea...

Hawks v talks: barriers to peace in Gaza

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even as Western countries band together to condemn Israel’s actions, aid remains at a trickle and the war is expanding into a central-Gazan city. We...

Land of the rising shun? Immigration and Japan’s politics

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the country’s politics for seven decades, just got a pasting at the polls—again. We ask why stai...

The ships are down: Houthis resume strikes

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once again, commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea are being attacked. Our correspondent explains why Houthi rebels, an Iranian-backed militia in Y...

Gown and out: are British universities broke?

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

UK universities are internationally renowned, but their finances are in a mess. Our correspondent offers a lesson in how to fix them. Why an amateur f...

Internet dating: will AI kill the web?

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The business model of the internet is built on people visiting sites to find out information. As Artificial Intelligence changes how we navigate the w...

Kyiv reprieve: Trump loses patience with Putin

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For months, Donald Trump has appeared to back Vladimir Putin. Now, frustrated at the lack of a ceasefire and fed up with Russia, the US president is o...

Old-school Thai: is another coup coming?

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After Thailand’s constitutional court suspended the country’s prime minister, our correspondent explains the need for fresh elections to avoid eco...

The Weekend Intelligence: The hunt for Austin Tice

12 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On December 8th, 2024, rebels swept into Damascus and ousted Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. One of the first things they did was open up the priso...

At your services: Britain’s economic bright spot

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Growth is abysmal; wages are low. But seen from the outside, Britain is a great place to contract services and buy bargain-basement bonds. We explore ...

Migration roots: the broken asylum system

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Immigration is a political lightning rod in part because the ageing global asylum pact is no longer fit for purpose. We examine how best to update it....

Sprawl of duty: Trump’s tariff drama

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once again President Donald Trump extended the deadline for spine-stiffening tariffs to go into effect on trading partners. We look at the effects of ...

The French reconnection: Macron in Britain

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anglo-French relations have not been so good since before the Brexit vote. Beneath the state-visit pageantry, though, there is much co-operation for P...

Trump card: can he broker a Gaza deal?

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While Israel and Hamas officials discuss a ceasefire via mediators in Qatar, a key meeting will take place at the White House today, when Israel’s p...

Oh Keir! Labour’s torrid first year

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a landslide victory and promises for radical renewal, Britain’s Labour government is failing in policy and popularity. Our correspondents expl...

Hard-core business: valuing OnlyFans

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OnlyFans transformed the online porn industry by making users subscribe for adult content. Now it is rumoured to be up for sale: who might buy it? As ...

Bill baby bill: Trump’s landmark legislation

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Donald Trump’s landmark legislation narrowly passes the Senate, our correspondent analyses the long-term political and economic consequences. Why...

Hard cell: Aung San Suu Kyi at 80

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

She was once the great hope for Myanmar. Though Aung San Suu Kyi fell from grace – and now sits in jail – she still has much support. How LifeWise...