Babbage: Think of the children

<p>An apparent spike in a rare childhood illness, <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/05/23/thoughts-that-the-young-are-not-much-affected-by-sars-cov-2-look-wrong" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kawasaki disease</a>, suggests the coronavirus may manifest very differently in children and raises questions over the role they play in spreading the pandemic. America’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/05/23/americas-latest-salvo-against-huawei-is-aimed-at-chipmaking-in-china" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latest offensive against Huawei </a>pushes the global semiconductor industry into uncharted territory; it may also harm American interests in the process. And, <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/05/21/can-covid-help-flatten-the-climate-curve" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flattening the other curve</a>—could fossil fuels be added to covid-19’s casualty list? Kenneth Cukier hosts</p><p><br></p><p>For more on the pandemic, see The Economist's coronavirus <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/2020/03/11/the-economists-coverage-of-the-coronavirus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hub</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/radiooffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/radiooffer</a></p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>