Saudi Arabia's economy is transforming. What's behind it? The Public Investment Fund, or PIF.

It's one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, creating 13 new sectors,

66 companies, and more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs so far. PIF is also the first

sovereign wealth fund to issue a green bond supporting Saudi Arabia's 2016 Net Zero emissions target.

Find out more at pif.gov.sa.

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.

Singapore is an ethnically diverse city state, mostly Chinese but also Malay and Indian.

Long ago laws aimed at racial harmony have kept tension at bay, mostly, but recent events have

put some persistent inequalities under the spotlight. And for centuries humans have been chewing gum.

For decades it was a hallmark of the rebellious of the cool. It seems that Gen Z doesn't see the appeal

though. They've got different distractions and environmental priorities and different ideas about rebellion.

But first,

the American government has been attempting to draw attention to its evacuation of translators

and others who helped in its two decades of war in Afghanistan. Since the first of this year,

our consular staff and Kabul has issued over 5,000 special immigrant visas and interviewed

thousands more. What the administration would doubtless prefer to draw attention away from is this.

Over the weekend Taliban insurgents made inroads in the cities of Harat,

Lashkar Gha and Kandahar. As American forces have withdrawn in the past couple of months,

Taliban has surged taking district after district, setting up parallel governments in much of the

country's rural expanse. What they seem determined to do next would put the country right back where

it was two decades ago. The Taliban are advancing on the streets of three big Afghan cities,

...