Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

In June last year, a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong further crimped democracy.

So when Britain offered visas to Hong Kongers, many took up the chance.

We look at how their new communities differ from those of most other migrants.

And for all the tech wizardry going on in the health sector, only a tiny amount of it is aimed at women's health.

Medical research, too, tends to ignore women's biological needs and differences.

Now, some tech entrepreneurs are aiming to even things out.

But first... Global prices for oil, gas and coal are rising steeply.

Supplies just aren't meeting the demands of recovering economies.

Winter is coming. Fears of the impending temperature drop in the Northern Hemisphere have driven gas prices to record highs.

Gas stations across Britain have had to shut down because a shortage of truckers has led to widespread lack of available fuel.

China's really struggling to get enough energy. Coal, for example,

grew to record prices last year. It's paying sky high prices for liquefied natural gas. India is facing

major power shortages as the country's coal supplies dwindle. Now several states are looking at introducing

mass blackouts in order to save energy reserves.

All of this scrambling for good old-fashioned fossil fuels is a reminder of how much the world still depends on them,

despite a global push to tame the addiction. At the same time, it's a reminder that it's going to take lots of investment and resolve to kick the habit.

The idea of an energy shortage now may seem ridiculous. During the pandemic, there was a huge

crash in oil prices. Oil prices sinking overnight with WTI Slovnik to its 18-year low. That's below $20 a barrel.

And global energy demand dropped by 5% the biggest fall since the Second World War.

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