In from the cold: Assad’s diplomatic redempti...

The fragile ceasefire between America and Iran is threatened by an exchange of ballistic missiles overnight between Iran and Israel. Our correspondent examines the consequences. China’s BYD cars are losing ground to other electric vehicles. And why hit TV shows inspire “companion ...  Show more

After decades of overpopulation worries, the country now has the opposite concern. We examine India’s unusual demographic turn, and why it is a wider warning to the world. Vegan substitutes have broadly improved in recent years—so why is there no good vegan cheese? And rememberin ...  Show more

Tomorrow, Syria’s president will be welcomed back into the Arab League as regional leaders meet in Jeddah. Is this the dictator’s first step in a journey to restore ties with the rest of the world? America’s small banks are capturing rural communities in a way that the big one ...

Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman says a presence in <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/08/10/saudi-arabia-is-spending-a-fortune-on-sport?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_ ...

South Africa’s leader says a pile of cash stashed in a sofa represents no wrongdoing. The outcome of an investigation <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/12/01/a-sofa-stuffed-with-cash-imperils-south-africas-president?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=aud ...

A policy of ambiguity is swiftly shifting; the country is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/02/19/why-south-africa-is-drifting-into-the-sino-russian-orbit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discover ...