When the Taliban resumed power, there were hopes that women might not be as excluded, repressed and abused as they were previously. Those hopes have faded. As smartphone sales plateau, tech giants are furiously searching for new platforms to conquer. Augmented and virtual reality are the new battlefields. And the rise of giga-everything: how the scale of science drives linguistic innovation. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

A ceasefire agreed weeks ago should have mitigated the suffering of starving Ethiopians caught up in war; we ask why so little aid has got through. Rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure and economy will require staggering sums—and a vast, international plan of action. And South Africa’s lockdown-era alcohol bans had a curious knock-on effect: crippling shortages of a beloved yeasty goo.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Police have served Britain’s prime minister, among others, with a fine for breaching the lockdown rules he instituted. He may yet again emerge unscathed, but Britain’s politics is damaged nonetheless. Florida’s natural environment has made it one of America’s fastest-growing states, yet environmental challenges represent its biggest long-term challenge. And Ukraine’s most famous rock star joins the war effort.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva left office with a sky-high approval rating, having raised millions from poverty—but was then convicted of corruption. Now he wants his old job back. Forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields, once widespread, is swiftly vanishing. And an old hypothesis confirmed: birds get more colourful the closer they live to the equator.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen of the nationalist-populist National Rally party will advance to a run-off; in the continuation of our series, we ask what to expect in an unexpectedly tight race. Russian military communications have proven easy to intercept, leading to poor co-ordination and heavy battlefield losses. And South Korea’s millennials are frantically hunting for Pokémon-themed snacks.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

The first round of the presidential election is on Sunday and our first-ever series has been following the race closely. This compendium of the first six dispatches looks at the candidates, their platforms and the sharply shifting political landscape in France. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Through ineptitude and bad timing, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa—known as Gota—has driven his country toward ruin. Its people want him out. Russian forces have occupied Kherson since early March. We hear a report from the ground about life under foreign occupation. And tasting awamori, a Japanese spirit that distillers may lift from the doldrums simply by watering it down. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Russian troops have withdrawn from suburban Kyiv to focus on the eastern Donbas region. With Western weapons for Ukraine flowing in, a grinding war of attrition looms. For our French-election series we meet members of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which has found success by shifting the focus away from its extremist image. And why a bid to rename Turkey will be so fraught. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

China’s zero-covid policy is being stretched to breaking point as the virus makes its way through the city. Supplies are low, residents are angry and there is no end in sight. The debate about air conditioning in America’s sweltering prisons will only heat up further. And how a dispute about time from exactly a century ago remains timely today. Additional audio provided courtesy of Matthew Florianz. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Our correspondent reports from towns around Kyiv, where Russian forces appear to have committed war crimes, including summary executions and random murders. The last instalment of a once-in-a-decade climate report suggests that meeting the more ambitious temperature goals set in Paris requires a “handbrake turn” on global emissions. And why Britain’s car washes are a rare example of “re-automation”. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer