Potemkin polls: Russia’s elections

<p>The winner of Russia’s elections was not in doubt. Vladimir Putin’s party, United Russia, came out on top. But despite the ballot stuffing and repression, the opposition still managed to rattle the Kremlin. The Gates Foundation is America’s biggest charitable foundation by far and a powerhouse in the world of public health. But its money <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/09/18/the-gates-foundations-approach-has-both-advantages-and-limits?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">could be better spent</a>. And we read the tea leaves to explain why <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/07/08/micro-organisms-play-a-bigger-part-in-tea-making-than-was-realised?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bugs are important</a> for your brew.&nbsp;</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</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>