:root {–wt-primary-color: #2D2DC8;–wt-text-on-primary-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-secondary-color: #F9FAFB;–wt-text-on-secondary-color: #030712;–wt-tertiary-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-tertiary-color: #222222;–wt-background-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-background-color: #222222;–wt-subscribe-background-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color: #222222;–wt-header-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto,”Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-body-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, “Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-button-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, “Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-border-radius: 8px}.bg-wt-primary { background-color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.text-wt-primary { color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.border-wt-primary { border-color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-primary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-primary { color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-primary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.bg-wt-secondary { background-color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.text-wt-secondary { color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.border-wt-secondary { border-color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-secondary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-secondary { color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-secondary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.bg-wt-tertiary { background-color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.text-wt-tertiary { color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.border-wt-tertiary { border-color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-tertiary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-tertiary { color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-tertiary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.bg-wt-background { background-color: var(–wt-background-color); }.text-wt-background { color: var(–wt-background-color); }.border-wt-background { border-color: var(–wt-background-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-background { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.text-wt-text-on-background { color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.border-wt-text-on-background { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.bg-wt-subscribe-background { background-color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.text-wt-subscribe-background { color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.border-wt-subscribe-background { border-color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.text-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.border-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.rounded-wt { border-radius: var(–wt-border-radius); }.wt-header-font { font-family: var(–wt-header-font); }.wt-body-font { font-family: var(–wt-body-font); }.wt-button-font { font-family: var(–wt-button-font); }input:focus { –tw-ring-color: transparent !important; }li a { word-break: break-word; }@media only screen and (max-width:667px) {.mob-stack {display: block !important;width: 100% !important;}.mob-w-full {width: 100% !important;}}@font-face {font-family: ‘Roboto’;font-style: normal;font-weight: 700;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v29/KFOlCnqEu92Fr1MmWUlfBBc4AMP6lQ.woff2’) format(‘woff2’);}@font-face {font-family: ‘Roboto’;font-style: italic;font-weight: 700;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v29/KFOjCnqEu92Fr1Mu51TzBic6CsTYl4BO.woff2’) format(‘woff2’);}@font-face {font-family: ‘Roboto’;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v29/KFOmCnqEu92Fr1Mu4mxKKTU1Kg.woff2’) format(‘woff2’);}@font-face {font-family: ‘Roboto’;font-style: italic;font-weight: 400;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v29/KFOkCnqEu92Fr1Mu51xIIzIXKMny.woff2’) format(‘woff2’);}@font-face {font-family: ‘Poppins’;font-style: normal;font-weight: 700;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/poppins/v22/pxiByp8kv8JHgFVrLCz7Z1xlFd2JQEk.woff2’) format(‘woff2’);}@font-face {font-family: ‘Poppins’;font-style: italic;font-weight: 700;font-display: swap;src: url(‘https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/poppins/v22/pxiDyp8kv8JHgFVrJJLmy15VF9eOYktMqg.woff2’) format(‘woff2′);}.table-base, .table-c, .table-h { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }.table-c { padding:5px; background-color:#FFFFFF; }.table-c p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family:’Helvetica’,Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }.table-h { padding:5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; }.table-h p { color: #2A2A2A; font-family:’Trebuchet MS’,’Lucida Grande’,Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }
Hi there Intriguer.ย Itโs high time we dropped some thanks in your inbox. We feel lucky to be here making sense of the world with you, and weโre blown away that more than 40,000 folks read Intrigue each day. So thank you for continuing to share the Intrigue with friends, frolleagues and frenemies. It means the world to us.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Todayโs briefing is a 4.6 min read:
-
๐จ๐ฆย Canada and China trade diplomatic punches.
-
๐น๐ฒย Turkmenistan can become a climate hero with one easy fix.
-
โ Plus: Imran Khan gets arrested, how the papers are covering the EU cancelling a reception in Israel, and Lord of the Rings leaves its mark around the world (and beyond).
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ง Todayโs Intrigue Outloud: Are diplomats allowed to spy on their host country?
๐บ๏ธ AROUND THE WORLD

-
๐จ๐ณย China: Chinese authorities have raided international consultancy Capvision, alleging the company failed to fulfil its obligations to โprevent espionageโ. Such raids have become more common since Beijing expanded its anti-espionage laws last month.
-
๐บ๐ฆย Ukraine: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated Europe Day (9 May) with President Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv. Her presence was intended to send a message of Western unity while Russia celebrated (WWII) Victory Day with military parades.
-
๐ฎ๐ฉย Indonesia: Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are in Indonesia this week to attend the blocโs annual summit. They have plenty to discuss, including the recent attack on an ASEAN humanitarian convoy in Eastern Myanmar.
-
๐ฒ๐ฝย Mexico: Mexicoโs high court has partly ruled against a controversial electoral reform package, effectively barring the overhaul of Mexicoโs election oversight body. The ruling is a setback for the administration of Mexicoโs left-leaning president (โAMLOโ), who backed the reform.
-
๐ฟ๐ผย Zimbabwe: Harare has launched a gold-backed digital currency this week, as the Zimbabwean dollar loses ground against major currencies. Zimbabwe now joins other African states like Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa that have introduced digital currencies.
๐จ๐ฆ CANADA | GEOPOLITICS

Sino-Canadian relations have taken a turn for the worse.
Canada and China expel diplomats in tit-for-tat
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Briefly: Canada declared Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei โpersona non grataโ this week, expelling him for his alleged role in an effort to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker. China responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat the next day.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
What was it all about?
-
๐ โโ๏ธ The Canadian politicianย had backed a 2021 parliamentary motion to condemn Beijingโs treatment of its Uyghur population
-
๐ In response, the Chinese diplomat (Zhao) allegedly helped target the Canadian politicianโs family in China for possible reprisals. Yikes.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Canadaโs intelligence service first detected all this back in 2021, but the story stayed under wraps until a top secret report was leaked to media this month. And that piled the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to boot Zhao.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
The last time Canada did this was in 2018, when Ottawa (politely) booted four Russian diplomats in response to Moscowโs poisoning of an ex-spy in the UK.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Intrigueโs take: You might be wondering why Zhao was allowed to remain in Canada for two years after his behaviour was discovered. And youโre not alone – the Canadian politician at the centre of the furore has asked the same question.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
The answer might be a simple stuff-up: the prime minister says nobody told him about the case (Trudeau didnโt have a national security advisor at the time).
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
And the answer might relate to asymmetry. China can absorb more diplomatic expulsions, impose more trade costs, and impose heavier personal costs on Canadians in China (including several on death row) than the inverse.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
And thatโs enough for most governments to weigh up their options very carefully.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Also worth noting:
-
Last year, reports emerged of a network of secret Chinese police stations in Canada. And earlier this year, a lawmaker denied accusations he colluded with China to influence his 2019 election.
-
South of the border, Washington expelled two Chinese diplomats in 2019 after they drove onto a sensitive US military base. It was the first US expulsion of Chinese diplomats for espionage in more than 30 years.
๐ฐ GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
How different newspapers covered: The EUโs mission to Israel cancelling an event after far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confirmed his attendance.

p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Links: Politico, EuroNews, Times of Israel.ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Todayโs briefing is sponsored byย Hubspot
Letโs, as a group, stop fumbling basic communications.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
If you can articulate your thoughts and emotions with clarity, thatโs powerful stuffโฆ and the main reason why HubSpot made this crisp business communication guide. Itโll help you speak with power and poise in the workplace, which wins brownie points with your peers.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Go get โem, champ.
๐น๐ฒ TURKMENISTAN | CLIMATE

Massive methane leaks in Turkmenistan
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Briefly: Methane leaks from two of Turkmenistanโs oil and gas fields emitted the equivalent of 366 million tonnes of CO2 last year, according to satellite data.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Thatโs more carbon than the entire United Kingdom emits in a year.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
The good news: Turkmenistan could apparently address the leaks by fixing just 29 pieces of ageing equipment. Thatโd also mean more product getting to market, and more cash reaching Turkmenistanโs coffers.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Intrigueโs take: Now that satellite tech has unveiled the scale of the problem, the question is whether Turkmenistan will care. Itโs an energy-rich and hermetic place thatโs long shrugged off criticism from abroad. And so long as the world keeps buying the countryโs gas, itโs hard to see that changing.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Also worth noting:
-
China receives more natural gas from Turkmenistan than any other country, and plans to double its imports in coming years.
-
The United Arab Emirates signed a gas deal with Turkmenistan in February. Itโll host the next UN climate change summit later this year.
๐ EXTRA INTRIGUE
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
This week, scientists named a new species of butterfly after Sauron, the all-seeing villain from Lord of the Rings. So hereโs a few other things from around the world (and beyond) named after the famous literary work of JRR Tolkien:
-
2991 Bilbo and 2675 Tolkien, two asteroids discovered in 1982
-
Smaug, a protein found in fruit fly embryos
-
Isengard Ridge, an undersea valley in the Atlantic Ocean
-
Tetramorium hobbit, a hairy ant from Madagascar, named after hairy hobbits
๐ธ PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credits: The Tribune.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was arrested by dozens of officers in Islamabad yesterday (Tuesday), in a major escalation of an ongoing corruption case. Khan supporters fanned out across the country in protest.
๐ณ๏ธ POLL TIME!
What do you think the tit-for-tat between Canada and China means? |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Yesterdayโs poll: If you had $1M to invest in a country, which one would you choose and why?
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉย ๐บ๐ธ US (27%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จ๐จ๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฎ๐ณ India (23%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐จ๐ณ China (3%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฉ๐ช Germany (8%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria (9%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ง๐ท Brazil (4%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia (4%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico (6%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya (5%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐๏ธ Other (write in!) (11%)
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Your two cents:
-
๐๏ธ N.M.G: โUkraine – I’m hopeful that the rebuilding process will be in full swing in the next 2-3 years.โ
-
๐ฎ๐ณย S: โIndia because:
-
1. China+1 strategy being adopted by multinationals (and India can grab a large chunk of the +1 investments)
-
2. Growing belief that India is poised for growth like China (and unlike China, is a democracy)
-
3. Non-aligned foreign policy ensuring there is interest from China/Russia/Saudi Arabia AND US/Europe/Australia
-
4. A large market which cannot be ignoredโ
-
-
๐๏ธ J.D.F.P: โBurundi – at the top of lake Tanganyika, a central hub for DRC, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda. As an overseas business you can set-up a local company online (with many incentives) in under 2 hours, plus the foreign exchange controls have been dramatically loosened (as of this month). [โฆ] Iโve invested there and I couldnโt be happier with the outcomes. โ
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Thank you so much for the torrent of responses! We couldnโt include them all but we read every single one of your messages ๐ – Team Intrigue