Economists have stopped waiting for interest rates to drop because it doesn’t seem to be coming. The upward pressure on long-term bond yields suggests that this situation could last for a while. How should the world adjust? Israel’s economy might be in good enough shape to withstand the next few months, but a longer war won’t come cheap (12:00). And, Jilly Cooper’s sexy new book (18:55). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you’ll have...
Nov 09, 2023•24 min
A high-profile money-laundering case in Singapore with links to Chinese gamblers has shed light on a broader web of organised crime across the region. As governments wake up to the problem, what are the odds of them getting it under control? Muhammad Dahlan , often tipped to be next leader of the Palestinians, sets out his post-war vision (09:32). And how to stop turmeric from killing people (18:00). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist ...
Nov 08, 2023•23 min
One month on from Hamas’ attack on Israel, we meet Najib Mikati . He is hoping to prevent Hizbullah from joining the conflict, and broader spillover into the rest of the Middle East. Can he? The American state of Ohio is voting on abortion rights today and opposition campaigners are hoping that their new tactics will work this time (11:30). And, how lying is compromising hiring (20:20). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you’ll have ...
Nov 07, 2023•27 min
Israeli troops are gearing up to enter Gaza city, bracing for the next round of urban warfare. Our correspondent spends some time with a brigade on the front-lines. How prepared are they for the task ahead? The pandemic is over, so why are consumers still staying home, alone, and withdrawing from social activities (09:16)? And, why Gen-Z isn’t the only group “ quiet quitting ” (17:40). Audio clip courtesy of Zaid Khan (@zaidleppelin). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re alr...
Nov 06, 2023•23 min
In our second episode of The Weekend Intelligence, The Economist correspondents Catherine Brahic and Sacha Nauta tell a different story about fertility treatment . A story about the pain, the hope and the despair that is paid for a life to be created. And a personal story about two women, over five years, whose lives followed parallel tracks in their quest for a baby. Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you’ll have full access to all ...
Nov 04, 2023•49 min
From can-do-no-wrong wunderkind to one of the biggest fraudsters in the history of finance: we look at Sam Bankman-Fried’s fall and conviction , and what it has done to the wider cryptocurrency industry. The evident successes of IVF treatment mask many disappointments; how to improve both outcomes and accessibility (13:15)? And take note, y’all: generational change is affecting America’s southern accent (22:14). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to Th...
Nov 03, 2023•29 min
General Valery Zaluzhny concedes that five months of counter-offensive have not gained much—and can see from history why the impasse may be impassable. Paris is starting to nip at London’s heels in the battle for supremacy in the art world (10:27). And India’s influencers battle to teach the country’s youth about sex—because the government will not (17:16). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you’ll have full access to all our shows a...
Nov 02, 2023•22 min
Online and on-screen reactions to the conflict reflect a subtle but important shift in Western attitudes , driven by three related forces: technology, demography and ideology. Britain’s King Charles is visiting Kenya—and will have a harder time navigating historical tensions than his mother ever did (09:56). And sleeping less tight: Paris is not the only place bedbugs are on the rise (18:24). Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you’ll...
Nov 01, 2023•24 min
As country after country in the Sahel has fallen prey to coups, President Macky Sall’s Senegal seemed an outpost of stability. Yet our correspondent finds him less than sanguine about democracy in the region. We sift through what little is known about “ the Phantom ”, the Hamas fighter behind the attacks in Israel (11:57). And eating steak frites gets political in France (19:47). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our offer that ends today . If you’r...
Oct 31, 2023•24 min
The long-anticipated invasion is not the expected blitzkrieg; we ask how a longer, more cautious war will be fought. Kemal Ataturk is still wildly popular a century after he founded modern Turkey—so instead of undoing his legacy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is simply claiming it (10:57). And an ode to Canada’s “long dash”, a time-marking tradition that has now gone silent (21:15). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will not b...
Oct 30, 2023•29 min
On foreign policy, trade and immigration, the Republican Party wants America to push the world away. This is a departure, but also a return to what the party used to believe . How did the Republican Party go from isolationism to internationalism and then back again? And what does that mean for America’s foreign policy ? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and The Economist ’s Edward Carr. Sign up for...
Oct 27, 2023•51 min
American airstrikes on Syrian bases linked to Iran are a reminder that Iran’s proxies lie behind many Middle East conflicts. But the ayatollahs’ angling for wider war in Gaza is a deeply dangerous game . We introduce you to our latest subscriber-only show, “ The Weekend Intelligence ”—our new home for storytelling (10:35). And why Britain is outlawing laughing gas (16:07). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. If you’re alr...
Oct 27, 2023•23 min
Last week, we spoke to the author Michael Lewis, who was embedded with Sam Bankman-Fried, as FTX, the crypto-trading empire he built, came crashing down amid allegations of fraud, which Mr Bankman-Fried denies. Mr Lewis credits Changpeng Zhao - the boss of Binance, a rival exchange - with bringing Mr Bankman-Fried to prominence. But CZ, as he’s known, may also have played a role in his downfall. This week, we speak to him about what the future holds for crypto. Hosts: Alice Fulwood, Mike B...
Oct 26, 2023•44 min
With the accession of Mike Johnson as the lower chamber’s majority leader, Congress can at last get back to lawmaking—unless the leadership circus starts again. China’s banks may be loaded up with hidden bad loans ; the industry’s covid-era hangover could be about to intensify (09:29). And why so many films have become so very, very long (17:35). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , yo...
Oct 26, 2023•24 min
The Weekend Intelligence is a new podcast from the award-winning team at The Economist. It’s a space for our reporters and writers to take a break from the news cycle, to tell the stories that mean the most to them, and to broaden all of our horizons. Hosts Ore Ogunbiyi and Jason Palmer introduce one story to take you somewhere new every Saturday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 25, 2023•1 min
In the coming decades, electric vehicles will dominate the roads and renewables will provide energy to homes. But for the green transition to be successful, unprecedented amounts of energy storage is needed. Batteries will be used everywhere—from powering electric vehicles, to providing electricity when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. The current generation of batteries are lacking in capacity and are too reliant on rare metals , though. Many analysts worry about material shortag...
Oct 25, 2023•45 min
A network of captives’ families has sprung up to accomplish what Israel’s government has so far failed to do—and may yet emerge as a political force. Protecting rhinoceroses from poachers is an expensive business; we look at what has become a bear market for rhinos (12:37). And why a coin toss is not the even-odds proposition you might think it is (20:30). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. If you’re already a subscriber to The Econ...
Oct 25, 2023•24 min
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many have worried: is Taiwan next? China is giving Taiwan a terrifying choice: unify with China, or face war. People in Taiwan want neither of these. For this special four-part series, David Rennie, The Economist ’s Beijing bureau chief, and Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, ask whether Taiwan can preserve its freedoms and decide its own future . In this first episode, they explore how Taiwan’s divided and changing identity impacts how close Taiwanese ...
Oct 24, 2023•47 min
President Vladimir Putin has long had it in for Alexei Navalny, Russia’s principal opposition figure. But now his lawyers are in peril , too, and Mr Navalny’s privations in prison are ramping up. Gaza’s need for aid may be urgent but is not new—Israel’s economic stranglehold goes back years (10:24). And, introducing “ Boss Class ”, our new, subscriber-only podcast series on being a better manager (19:50). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time...
Oct 24, 2023•27 min
After dominating the polls for months, Javier Miliei, a right-wing firebrand, was outshone by the candidate from the ruling Peronist administration. We examine why Mr Milei fell so short and the run-off to come. Cross-border assassinations may be rising—and states seem to be more daring in carrying them out (11:46). And remembering Ofir Libstein, an Israeli mayor killed by Hamas (19:30) Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will no...
Oct 23, 2023•27 min
They fled round after round of gunfire, hid for hours and saved hundreds of lives. It is a rare story of survival on what was a horrific day for Israel. Mexico’s national oil company has accrued immense amounts of debt. Why is the government still propping it up (12:47)? And, video games are going back to 2D (19:57). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ launches. If you’re alread...
Oct 20, 2023•27 min
From a refugee camp in Chad, we speak with those fleeing murder in Darfur . Reporting on the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and a powerful paramilitary group may have slowed, but the suffering has not. Bowel cancer is becoming more common in young people. How can screening be improved (14:23)? And, New York City rediscovers the dustbin (20:21). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Po...
Oct 19, 2023•27 min
A fatal explosion at a hospital-cum-shelter has led to outrage and the canceling of the very summit that the US president had flown in for. America’s support for Israel is unwavering but could this escalation prompt the involvement of regional neighbours? Modi’s meddling in India’s cricket is bad for the game (10:53). And mourning dead artists (19:19). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcas...
Oct 18, 2023•26 min
America may have avoided a government shutdown last month but its fiscal worries are far from over. And unease in bond markets will spill over into the rest of the world. What can governments do to stave off the financial blow? The Chinese Communist Party’s youth wing is using rap to lure new members, and it’s working (10:10). And, how has “ Bluey ” become such a hit (19:16)? Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will n...
Oct 17, 2023•25 min
After two terms in power, Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s nationalist party looks to have lost its majority . For Donald Tusk’s pro-Europe centrists, it’s bargaining time. Thousands of Americans are waiting for transplants, so why are so many organs going to waste instead (12:01)? And why writing might be better for your memory than typing (18:52). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 16, 2023•25 min
Bombs have rained on the strip since Hamas’s attack on Israel last Saturday. With food, water and electricity running out ahead of a ground invasion, one woman tells us the worst is yet to come. The Ukrainian war has reached Crimea . Kyiv is subverting Russian dominance in the Black Sea, could that prove pivotal (11:26)? And, how the death of Indian vultures has affected public health (20:12). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You ...
Oct 13, 2023•26 min
The Defence Force is preparing to follow up its air strikes on Gaza with troops . An incursion will be bloody, and perhaps even more so if Hezbollah becomes embroiled in the conflict. Australians will vote this weekend on whether to enshrine an indigenous Voice to Parliament into its constitution (11:36). And, why Birkenstock’s 249-year-old shoes are still trendy (19:27). Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will not be charged un...
Oct 12, 2023•27 min
How does the Palestinian militant group justify the atrocities committed in Israel? Why has it done this? What does it plan to do with the hostages? In a conversation with Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior official, Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's editor-in-chief, presses for answers. Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ launches. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’l...
Oct 11, 2023•25 min
As the retribution continues, the state has now cut off supplies to the Palestinian enclave, and America is sending military support to Binyamin Netanyahu. But how will Hamas respond? From cowboys to country music, Brazil’s hinterland is taking on a sepia-tinged Americanness (10:46). And which languages might take you the longest to learn (18:00)? Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ l...
Oct 10, 2023•25 min
Almost exactly 50 years on from the moment that launched the deadly Yom Kippur War, Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza strip, carried out a series of attacks . Hundreds have been killed, Israeli intelligence services were surprised and the retribution is bound to be severe. What does this mean for Palestinian civilians, and regional politics more broadly ? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 09, 2023•21 min
