President Vladimir Putin has declared the independence of the two Ukrainian provinces of Donbas—and sent in "peacekeepers". We ask what is next. The African Union was founded two decades ago this year; its early integration and diplomatic successes have since sharply faded. And our deep, interactive dive into Spotify reveals the slipping global dominance of English-language lyrics.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

The Gambia’s first-of-its-kind case at the International Court of Justice might bring a rebuke and shine light on Myanmar’s brutal tactics. It might not, alas, bring succour for the Rohingyas. Our correspondent considers a grand geopolitical gamble from exactly 50 years ago, seeking lessons for today from Richard Nixon’s visit to China. And research reveals that noise stresses plants out. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

We unpick the week’s torrent of headlines; an invasion may yet come but either way President Vladimir Putin has already harmed Russia. The country’s digital self-isolation project is quietly forging ahead; we examine its home-grown “tech stack” with everything from chips up to apps. And we hear from a Ukrainian woman whose life has been upended by the conflict’s uncertainties.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

BioNTech, the German firm behind the first licensed coronavirus jab, reveals its attempts to stuff its technology into shipping containers—to be used where they are most needed. In the second instalment of our French-election series, we ask what is left of the country’s left. And, as the Olympics wrap up, putting numbers to judges' biases that favour their compatriots. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Last summer President Kais Saied nobbled the legislature; now he has abolished the judiciary. We ask where the country is headed, and why there is so little protest. Brazil’s modern-art scene, born a century ago this week, flourished despite rocky politics—but the current president has a chokehold on it. And the Thai army’s quixotic mission to evict Bangkok’s legendary street-food hawkers. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Today’s figures showing the first annual economic growth in three years may seem promising. But the grand plans of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio resemble past policies that have not worked. The finely tuned government of Bosnia is under grave threat from some of the same forces that caused its brutal war. And why roadkill is now on the menu in Wyoming.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

It has become much more than a fight against proof-of-vaccination strictures. The anti-government mood has spread in Canada and abroad. What happens next? Haiti has received billions upon billions in foreign assistance but its situation remains dire; we ask why all that aid has not aided much. And Reader’s Digest, a surprisingly influential American snappy-excerpts magazine, turns 100.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Since American forces left, pessimism has skyrocketed—and with good reason. Starvation is driving Afghans to sell their organs and even their children in order to eat. The artificial snow of this year’s winter Olympics is unsustainable and environmentally troubling; we meet a “snow consultant” pioneering a better way. And remembering Lata Mangeshkar, who gave voice to a newly liberated India.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

The state-legislature poll in Uttar Pradesh is in effect a vote on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasingly stringent Hindu-national agenda—and will hint at his party’s chances in 2024. Oil majors are getting points for selling off their dirtiest oil-and-gas operations; we ask who is buying them. And which countries are up and which are down in our annual Democracy Index. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

So far Germany’s new chancellor has been all but invisible at home and on the international stage. We examine the motives behind his reticence—and his abilities during a European crisis. As space becomes a battleground and satellites become targets, new research aims to bring nuclear power to bear. And visiting a red-hot art exhibition in three ways at once. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer