Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from the Economist. I'm Jason Palmer.

And I'm Aura Ogambi. Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

If I ask you to think of Brazil, odds are you're going to think of sun-kissed beaches,

but both industries and people are flocking to the country's interior.

That's led to a rise in American-inspired cowboy culture and more political power for the cowboys.

And you might be thinking about learning a new language, but which one?

Our language columnist has some advice on which ones might be most suited to you and which to avoid.

But first...

It's been three days since Israel was hit by a surprise attack.

Hamas terrorists broke into the country, murdering at least 900 civilians and taking others hostage.

The state now claims to have regained control of the border fence around Gaza.

But the situation is far from contained.

So far, the bodies of 1,500 members of Hamas have reportedly been recovered from within Israel's border.

Yesterday, a siege was declared on the Gaza Strip and its 2.3 million people.

Israel has now cut off Gaza's water, food, medicines, electricity and internet and carried out a steady barrage of air strikes on the Palestinian enclave,

one of the most densely populated territories on Earth.

Officials in Gaza said the strikes have killed at least 700 civilians.

Hamas has continued sending rockets over the border fence, putting Israel's iron dome defense system under strain.

Israel has called up 300,000 reservists, an indication that it could be preparing for a ground offensive.

In a show of military support, America has repositioned its navy and confirmed that it will be dispatching armed supplies.

In the meantime, Israel, the wider region and the world are still coming to terms with what has happened and crucially, what happens next.

I think the mood for Israelis has really transitioned from one of shock and grief in the hours after the attack on Saturday to one of anger.

...