The Intelligence: F is for falling standards

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

America is producing more high-school graduates—but on average, they know less. We ask how a push for equity can in reality seed a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/03/10/new-numbers-show-falling-standards-in-american-high-schools?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medi ...

America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to bring it to a <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/03/20/why-america-cant-escape-inflation-worries?utm_ca ...

Labour markets are changing in all kinds of ways, thanks to ageing societies, hot-running economies and technological boosts. It all adds up to a <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/11/28/welcome-to-a-golden-age-for-workers?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_mediu ...

India is not the first country to leapfrog from poverty-induced undernourishment to also having an obesity crisis—but a <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/03/07/indian-food-is-great-perhaps-too-great?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelli ...