Najib Razak, prime minister during the massive 1MDB scandal in which billions went missing, lost his final appeal against corruption convictions. We ask what that means for Malaysia’s politics. Many American voters want the law changed on livestock welfare—but the law is pushing back . And past and present collide in the latest from the “Predator” film franchise. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on A...
Aug 25, 2022•23 min
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin expected to seize Ukraine easily. Instead he met fierce resistance. Ukraine has fought bravely, Russia poorly. We reflect on lessons learned in the past six months . Angola’s presidential election today is the most competitive since the country gained independence in 1975. And the Edinburgh Festival Fringe turns 75 this year. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast...
Aug 24, 2022•26 min
Speculation is rampant as to who killed Darya Dugina, the pundit daughter of a Russian ultra-nationalist. We ask how the murder will be spun in the absence of answers. When it comes to gay rights, Singapore’s government takes more than it gives. And why some minority languages thrive while others wither. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 23, 2022•26 min
Tensions are rising at Zaporizhia, which Russian forces are using as a military base. We ask what the risks are, and whether they can be headed off. Britain’s summer heatwave was deadly—but figuring out how deadly was no easy task. And discovering the real value of the “social capital” outside family and work relationships. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Aug 22, 2022•22 min
We pay a visit to the presidential offices just weeks after protesters stormed them. Things seem calm and the new leader has clear plans ; can the country put its years of economic crisis behind it? We investigate the curious case of Turkey’s growth amid screaming inflation. And the “shadow regency” in Britain as the Queen slows down . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...
Aug 19, 2022•23 min
As a clear lead hardens and the appointment of a new prime minister looms, both contenders are making noises about cutting taxes. But would either have a firm grip on the country’s long-term woes? The vast makeover of Ethiopia’s capital city—despite a grinding civil war—is an idealised vision of the country’s future. And figuring out why thinking hard is so exhausting. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hoste...
Aug 18, 2022•25 min
Wyoming’s sole representative in the House, once a Republican leading light and now a pariah for her views on Donald Trump, has been ousted from Congress. We attend her election-night defeat. The science behind behavioural nudges seems to be on increasingly shaky ground . And investigating the UAE’s questionable plans to make more rain. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...
Aug 17, 2022•26 min
The names are familiar but the establishment-choice and rabble-rouser roles are reversed. That the vote was along class lines rather than ethnicity marks an important shift. Will the result stand? For years Mexico was seen merely as a conduit for illegal drugs; now it has a growing user base as well. And the rising number of Americans bringing guns onto flights. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Ac...
Aug 16, 2022•22 min
Rights for women and girls have regressed by decades; the economy is cratering. Yet, for many rural Afghans, things are actually better than they were before America scarpered. Silicon Valley types once righteously spurned the military-industrial establishment—now they’re queuing up to fund defence startups. And the surprising truth about the most famous scene in “Bambi”, which is turning 80 . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.co...
Aug 15, 2022•23 min
The airbase in Crimea lies in ruins. Ukraine hasn’t claimed credit, many suspect they carried out the daring attack more than 100 miles behind enemy lines. Our defence editor explains why the war has entered a new phase. Why state-owned firms , not oil supermajors, are the biggest impediment to a green-energy transition. And pondering the pleasures of barbecue . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Ac...
Aug 12, 2022•26 min
Donald Trump endured an FBI raid, questioning in a civil lawsuit and an adverse court ruling, all in 48 hours. But at least in the short-term, he’s making political hay from his legal woes. Why Apple’s future increasingly rests on services rather than just hardware. And how France is coping with a mustard shortage . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...
Aug 11, 2022•24 min
Our series on America’s mid-term elections begins with a visit to a citizenship class in Doral, Florida, given by Republicans. We examine how the GOP is cutting into Democrats’ advantage with Latino voters. Britain’s trial of a superhighway for drones is a bid to unleash their commercial potential. And meeting a Thai dissident issuing dystopian pop music from self-imposed exile. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceo...
Aug 10, 2022•24 min
A ceasefire is holding after a weekend of deadly strikes. We ask why Hamas, the Palestinian movement that controls Gaza, did not get involved . As Generation Z tentatively enters the workforce, they are clamouring for more flexibility and money than their forebears enjoyed. And reflecting on the flawed but brilliant poet Philip Larkin on the centenary of his birth . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted o...
Aug 09, 2022•23 min
On Sunday America’s Senate passed the most-ambitious climate legislation in the country’s history, giving Democrats and President Joe Biden a huge win heading into the midterms. Why Africa is experiencing a boom in startups . And the nascent, necessary efforts to understand how the menstrual cycle affects athletic performance. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
Aug 08, 2022•27 min
In a bumper episode, we highlight a summer’s-worth of deeply reported stories from 1843, our sister magazine: we profile Muhammad bin Salman , the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, who is both a liberalising reformer and a fearsome consolidator of power. We ask why magicians are behind so many viral videos. And we explore humanity’s long-running ambivalence toward the sun . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer H...
Aug 05, 2022•36 min
As Russia’s campaign in the eastern Donbas region loses steam, our correspondent finds Ukraine’s efforts to recapture Kherson are gaining momentum. But at what cost? India is notorious for its staggering road-death statistics; we ask what is being done to improve them. And the two surprising factors that predict how worried people are about climate change. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. S...
Aug 04, 2022•21 min
The visit of America’s speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has Chinese tempers flaring. We ask what the trip suggests about American policy and what it means for Taiwan. Crowdfunding is making a real difference in the war in Ukraine—but its effects vary between the two sides. And a close listen to a young pianist’s prizewinning Rachmaninoff-concerto performance. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceo...
Aug 03, 2022•22 min
For decades Ayman al-Zawahiri was the chief ideologue of the terrorist group. We ask what his death in Afghanistan means for the broader jihadist movement. A vote on abortion in Kansas today is a sharp test of the electorate following the gutting of Roe v Wade . And remembering Diana Kennedy , an indefatigable food writer and champion of Mexican cuisine. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See...
Aug 02, 2022•24 min
As the first fatal cases outside Africa are reported, we investigate the response to the disease, and the parallels with the early days of HIV. Nuclear waste has been stockpiled in supposedly temporary pools for decades; our correspondent visits the first place it is being permanently entombed . And where education is failing even amid encouraging enrolment numbers. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted o...
Aug 01, 2022•24 min
Joe Biden’s climate legislation stalled, in large part because Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s senior senator and a Democrat, had reservations. But Mr Manchin reversed course on Wednesday. Mr Biden looks likely to notch a major legislative win heading into the midterms. Why women’s sports are booming. And remembering a fighter for democracy in Myanmar. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Jul 29, 2022•23 min
America’s central bank has raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point—its fourth rise this year. It is walking a fine line between cooling the economy and tipping the country into recession. Scientific results fundamental to more than a decade’s-worth of Alzheimer’s research may have been fabricated . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
Jul 28, 2022•25 min
Russia cut the gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by half in what many see as retaliation for Europe’s support of Ukraine. EU energy ministers fear further cuts as winter approaches. A new research review suggests the decades-long reliance on SSRIs to treat depression was based on a false premise. And why Dakar’s plant vendors show such high levels of trust. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Host...
Jul 27, 2022•19 min
The campaigning is a bit nasty, by British standards, as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak vie to become Conservative Party leader and thus prime minister . What will the mud-slinging do for the party’s image? We examine a potentially simple solution to address the Catholic Church’s problem with child abuse. And why prices are skyrocketing at posh hotels. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast....
Jul 26, 2022•23 min
Missile strikes on the port of Odessa have dimmed hopes for a UN-brokered deal to get Ukraine’s grain on the move. We ask what chances it may still have. Tunisia's constitutional referendum looks destined to formalise a march back to the autocratic rule it shook off during the Arab Spring. And how Formula 1 is looking to crack America . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...
Jul 25, 2022•25 min
Last night, the committee investigating the events of January 6th 2021 said that Donald Trump’s failure to stop his supporters’ attack was a “dereliction of duty”. The evidence was strong; whether it will change anything remains unclear. We examine the thinking behind the European Central Bank’s surprise half-point rise in interest rates. And the money motivations of Bangladesh’s loosening booze laws . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 22, 2022•26 min
For the second time in a week, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tendered his resignation as his motley coalition government splintered further. The upheaval could not come at a worse time for the country. The pandemic’s devastating costs not only to children’s learning but also to their development are becoming clearer. And researchers are getting bacteria to make jet fuel . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer ...
Jul 21, 2022•23 min
Property developers are going belly-up, home-buyers are not paying mortgages, protests after a banking scandal have been quashed . We ask about the instability still to come. Ukraine’s new HIMARS rocket launchers are proving exceedingly effective against Russian forces. And a look at Britain’s world-leading collection of diseases-in-a-dish . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
Jul 20, 2022•24 min
Vast stretches of the temperate world are baking or burning, and as climate change marches on widespread heatwaves will only grow more intense and more common. After a half-century of insurgency, some rebels of Colombia’s disbanded FARC group needed a new calling: they have become tour guides . And a look at where Ukraine can store its considerable grain harvest. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on A...
Jul 19, 2022•24 min
President Jair Bolsonaro, an unabashed fan of Donald Trump, is telegraphing that he may not accept a loss in the October election—there is too much at stake for him and his family. The West has a delicate chance to stem the tide of Russian weapons that have long been pouring into India . And why America is rebranding a much-maligned fish. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
Jul 18, 2022•23 min
Joe Biden lands in Saudi Arabia this morning, having spent two unremarkable days in Israel and the West Bank. As president, he has been unusually disengaged from the Middle East, and will probably return home with little to show for his peregrinations. We survey the state of sex education in Latin American schools, and explain why dinosaurs outcompeted other species . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted...
Jul 15, 2022•22 min
