So this is quizmas: our inaugural holiday face-off

Crippling blackouts can be explained in part by the state’s unique energy market, but the disaster exposes wider failures that must be confronted amid a changing climate. Today’s landing of another Mars rover broadens the hunt for evidence of extraterrestrial life—an effort that is expanding faster and farther than ever before. And soft rock shakes off its milquetoast manner.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceofferListen and subscribe to “The Jab from Economist Radio”, our new weekly podcast at the sharp end of the global vaccination race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Feb 202123min

It is not violent young protesters in the dock: the accused are the architects of the territory’s democracy. Our correspondent examines the city’s descent into authoritarian rule. In Colombia, activists are disappearing or being killed at a horrific rate. We ask why, and what can be done. And weighing up Oregon’s daring drug-decriminalisation experiment.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Feb 202120min

Terror groups and separatists run riot in the sprawling region, and France has had some success in keeping the peace. But how, and when, to draw down its troops? Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the World Trade Organisation’s history-making new leader, has quite the task ahead to rebuild trust in and among the institution’s members. And the worrying shifts in subsea soundscapes. Additional audio courtesy Jana Winderen. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Feb 202122min

Donald Trump was all but certain to be cleared in his Senate trial, and so it went. But the few Republican votes to convict are telling. What next for the former president? A look into Swiss efforts to track down a missing $230m raises disturbing questions. And why women aren’t getting the laughs as stand-up comedy grows in China.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceofferListen and subscribe to “The Jab from Economist Radio”, our new weekly podcast at the sharp end of the global vaccination race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Feb 202124min

Stock-trading is shifting to the continent; businesses are bound up in red tape; border issues are still simmering. There is far more than mere “teething problems” as Britain and Europe adjust to their new relationship. Our correspondent looks at the slippery nature of risk by speaking with wing-suited daredevils. And in Kenya the flower-industry bounce-back is blooming great news.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Feb 202122min

A power-grab by the army’s commander, Min Aung Hlaing, is not turning out to be easy: the greatest protest movement in a generation is gathering steam. Debates over trans rights are particularly fraught in criminal-justice systems. We examine the balancing act going on in America. And a historical tour of autocrats’ luxuriant bathrooms reveals there’s a lot to loos. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Feb 202122min

The World Health Organisation unveiled preliminary findings, suggesting the coronavirus probably jumped to humans via an intermediary animal and all but ruling out a laboratory leak. We examine the many remaining questions. Nefarious regimes find it ever easier to reach across borders, subjecting dissidents to repression and surveillance abroad. And why it’s so hard to buy a car in Algeria. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer“The Jab from Economist Radio” is our new weekly podcast at the sharp end of the global vaccination race. Listen to the trailer and subscribe now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Feb 202120min

So far it seems the continent has weathered the pandemic well. But current numbers mask a future reckoning that is likely to have dire human and economic costs. We look into the “predatory trading” that in part explains recent, frenzied action in stockmarkets. And a surprising discovery about the plastics that sink to the oceans’ depths. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Feb 202121min