Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

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

Ethiopia erupted into violence last week when a popular singer was assassinated.

The killing has exposed the ethnic tensions and the mistrust of government

that are threatening the country's delicate transition from autocratic rule to democracy.

And a rollicking cloak-and-dagger tale is playing out in Fiji.

A self-described spy offered his services to the state broadcaster,

promising to get dirt on the opposition.

What followed was a story of spy pens, police raids,

and not just a little embarrassment.

But first... No sooner had the pandemic taken hold than talk turned to a vaccine, a cure-all, a one-shot fix that could

vanquish the virus.

As recently as last week, President Donald Trump repeated his pledge that a vaccine would be available this year.

We'll likely have a therapeutic and-door vaccine solution long before the end of the year.

That isn't a promise he can make,

and two days later, the head of America's Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, wouldn't make it.

I can't predict when a vaccine will be available.

Regulators have two core concerns.

A vaccine candidate must be proven both safe and effective.

Yesterday, Anthony Fauci, head of America's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,

and the Trump administration's go-to health expert,

cautiously suggested that by early next year, those two concerns would be addressed.

...