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.

Frontline medical workers everywhere are suffering amid a shortage of protective equipment.

Masks, face shields, gowns, manufacturers of all sorts are making more,

but supply isn't the only problem in getting the kit into the right hands.

And in Brazil, telenovelas are more than hugely popular entertainment.

These soap operas perform an educational service too.

COVID-19 has halted their production for the first time.

When the cameras roll again, how will these shows deal with the pandemic?

First up, though.

In Hong Kong, more than 7,000 mostly young people have been arrested since the eruption of pro-democracy unrest last June.

But no action by the police has caused as much shock as this weekend's roundup of some of the territories most venerated campaigners.

The 15 arrests included lawmakers and lawyers accused of involvement in last year's mass protests.

Among them was newspaper owner Jimmy Lai, who was arrested at his home and driven away in a police van.

Another was Martin Lee, barrister and former legislator often called the father of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

He had to be a lawyer for him. I'll come to the queue.

Speaking after his release on bail, the 81-year-old said he was proud to have walked the road of democracy with the territories young people.

The detainment of some of the figureheads of the protest movement might be intended as a deterrent against future mass gatherings.

But given the fervor of last year's demonstrations, it could have the opposite effect.

The protests that broke out in early summer last year carried on throughout the summer in the autumn and then they peaked in November with some very violent clashes between protesters and the police.

Caroline Carter is our deputy agent news editor.

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