From the desk of Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor - 26th February 2015

View in browser | E-mail a friend Thursday, February 26, 2015 Welcome to the planet of the phones. This week we look at how smartphones are enriching lives, remaking industries and transforming societies. By 2020, 80% of adults will own a device that is as powerful as yesterday’s supercomputers. That will bring unimagined benefits, but also ask hard questions of society  Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief Brazil in a quagmire Government and investors have yet to face up to the scale of Brazil’s economic and political problems READ MORE » Islam and extremism The Muslim world is engaged in a heated debate about Islam’s role in creating violent jihadists. Will it make a difference? READ MORE » Asia’s mania for sand From Singapore to Japan, there is a taste for reclaiming land from the sea by dumping sand. It could lead to trouble READ MORE » Politics this week Venezuela’s state security service arrested the mayor of metropolitan Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, after the president, Nicolás Maduro, accused him of plotting a coup against his government with the help of the United States. Venezuela’s left-wing regime has been shaken by food shortages, soaring inflation and the falling price of oil. It faces parliamentary elections later this year. Critics of the government contend that Mr Ledezma’s arrest shows that it intends to hold on to power by force SEE ARTICLE » MORE FROM: POLITICS THIS WEEK » Business this week Stuart Gulliver, the chief executive of HSBC, was hauled in front of a committee in Parliament to answer questions about claims that the bank’s Swiss offices had helped clients avoid tax. The bank itself reported a 17% drop in annual pre-tax profit, to $18.7 billion SEE ARTICLE » MORE FROM: BUSINESS THIS WEEK » Subscribe Subscribers can enjoy each week's full issue of The Economist in print, at Economist.com or via The Economistapps. Subscription offers » Follow The Economist  Go to Economist.com