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.

The African Union marks its 20th Earth Day this year.

In its first decade, it mostly managed to work as intended, integrating economies and

keeping the peace. A look around the continent today suggests its second decade hasn't

been so successful.

And skim through the hottest songs on Spotify and you might notice a slow, steady change,

less and less English in the lyrics.

Our data correspondent takes a deep dive, finding where in the world pop music's dominant

language is slipping fastest.

And first, Europe has moved a big step closer to war.

Last night, after an unusual televised meeting of his National Security Council, Russia's

President Vladimir Putin delivered a long and fiery speech.

He essentially denied Ukraine's very existence, called it affiction.

He accused NATO of using the country as a base to threaten Russia.

After that bit of revisionism, Mr. Putin said the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine,

Donetsk and Luhansk should officially be recognized as independent.

Then he said Russian troops would march into them.

He called them peacekeepers.

Hours later, they did.

Those two regions or oblasts have not known peace for some time.

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