Hello and welcome to the intelligence from the economist.

In New York, I'm John Fassman.

And in London, I'm Jason Palmer.

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

At the end of July, an American drone strike killed Iman al-Zawakhri, the nominal head of

Al-Qaeda.

A group of Islamic State occupy far fewer headlines than they did a decade ago.

But that doesn't mean they've been inactive.

And twirling in the fields of South Korea's countryside, you'll find a growing crop of freshly

minted farmers.

We ask why so many young Koreans are giving up the city-slicker life to work the land.

But first…

China's president Xi Jinping is venturing outside his country for the first time in more than

a thousand days.

He was first welcomed with trumpets and ceremony yesterday in Kazakhstan, where he met with

central Asian leaders.

On the docket, today is a meeting in Samarkand, enneighboring Uzbekistan with his Russian

counterpart Vladimir Putin, who arrived by plane this morning.

The two men have much in common, and Mr. Putin has had a solid ally in China during

his invasion of Ukraine.

But fortunes have shifted in that war, meaning their relationship status is, well, it's

complicated.

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