We sit down with Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s youngest-ever spymaster . He is intense, resolute—and oddly charismatic. A world of electrified transport is going to need lots of nickel for batteries. We argue that, environmentally speaking, gathering it from the seafloor clearly beats mining it on land (11:12). And remembering Donald Triplett , the first person ever to be diagnosed with autism (19:25). Additional audio courtesy of “In A Different Key”, inadifferentkeythemovie.com For full access to ...
Jul 07, 2023•27 min
If there is one thing Facebook’s parent company does well, it is aping other social-media features and platforms—and it is a propitious time to steal Twitter’s thunder. Deeply indebted Arab countries desperately need loans from the IMF, but have good reasons to balk at the fund’s terms (10:00). And New Yorkers love their invasive parakeets ; the birds’ enormous nests, less so (18:41). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription b...
Jul 06, 2023•24 min
Its leader is in exile and its future is uncertain. But the Wagner Group will be loth to abandon the influence and the cashflow that its murky African operations bring. The striking down of affirmative-action university-admissions policies in America may counterintuitively spur more-progressive and more-efficient alternatives (9:56). And the reinvention (again) of a beloved Chinese sweet treat (17:08). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digi...
Jul 05, 2023•23 min
The so-called refugee camp in the city of Jenin has been subject to raids for months—and a hotspot for militants for decades. We ask what set things off so violently this week. Now that Jair Bolsonaro is barred from Brazilian office for eight years , what happens to his brand of politics (11:17)? And how America got a new king of beers (19:17). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligence...
Jul 04, 2023•26 min
The killing of a teenager in a Paris suburb has ignited national unrest . We ask what is driving the disquiet, and what it means for a president squeezed on both political sides. In high-inflation times, rising wages worry economists—“wage-price spirals” are a textbook bogeyman. But perhaps the risk is overblown (10:34). And the researchers making burgers from extinct animals (18:22). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription b...
Jul 03, 2023•24 min
Mass movements of people expected as climate change progresses are often depicted as catastrophes-in-waiting. We visit Niger, where that shift has begun, finding there is good news amid the bad. We examine the spate of video games depicting Ukraine’s live theatre of war (11:32). And the end of Indiana Jones’s run prompts a reflection on what made his adventures so compelling (17:12). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by...
Jun 30, 2023•25 min
This week’s court battle involving Microsoft and Activision, giants of tech and gaming, reflects a sea change under way in America’s trustbusting machinery; it may not go as far as the top competition cop might like. A boom in China’s post-pandemic economy now seems to be sputtering (11:29). And a paean to the Tayto crisp —cheese-and-onion flavour, naturally (18:29). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.eco...
Jun 29, 2023•24 min
For decades, leftist policies first espoused by Juan Perón have dominated the country’s politics. But as electioneering begins it is clear that rampant inflation is driving voters away from Peronism and toward the populist right . We examine why big American retailers see opportunity in providing primary health care (9:33). And our annual list of the world’s most liveable cities (15:38). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscriptio...
Jun 28, 2023•21 min
Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group fighters are said to be welcome in safe-haven Belarus. We ask how Aleksandr Lukashenko, the country’s puppet president, ended up in the role of peace broker . Our correspondent investigates why so many American states are having to bail out public-transport companies. And the diplomatic benefits of wearing red on visits to China. Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey For full access to print, digital and audio...
Jun 27, 2023•24 min
Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed “Putin’s chef”, leads the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. He had lambasted Russia’s military leaders for months, but the mutiny he began over the weekend lasted less than a day . Nevertheless it is a sharp blow to President Vladimir Putin’s leadership—and may prove to be a boon for Ukraine’s counter-offensive. Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey For full access to print, digit...
Jun 26, 2023•27 min
In the months since America’s Supreme Court gave states the power to ban abortions, those in support of the ruling have become more splintered . And with the help of leftist language, they are finding new recruits. A new discovery about the intelligence of a human-like species is changing how we understand evolution. And, a tribute to the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers . Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey For full access to print, digital an...
Jun 23, 2023•28 min
Members of the alliance are conflicted over the prospect of Ukraine’s membership . In particular, America has changed its mind, and this could affect the future of the war. Because of rapidly rising sea levels, China’s coastal cities are on sinking sand. Will another great wall slow the tide? And, say hello to our new Style Guide. Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a fre...
Jun 22, 2023•25 min
Narendra Modi is cosying up to America, but not at the expense of valuable relationships with Russia and China. Our correspondent speaks with the country’s foreign minister who details its unique worldview. After losing its charismatic leader, what does the future hold for the Scottish National Party ? And a change the supply of body parts in Britain. Please take a moment to fill out our new listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of ...
Jun 21, 2023•28 min
Much to the chagrin of hopeful first-time buyers, property prices remain stubbornly high across the West. Our correspondent explains why housing is defying the laws of financial gravity. A new diamond deal in Botswana risks jeopardizing the country’s sparkling record. And why a failed crop of peaches will not cripple America’s Peach State. Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 20, 2023•24 min
In a first since 2018, America’s secretary of state is visiting China amid escalating tensions between both countries. Can diplomats successfully stabilise the strained relationship? Latin American countries are in a developmental limbo. We explore why this is disproportionately affecting single mothers . And, come with us to a British seaweed farm bubbling with economic potential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 19, 2023•26 min
They lead startups, giant corporations, even countries: people of Indian origin are finding great success outside their home country—and wielding much influence inside it. On its 30th anniversary we revisit Derek Jarman’s film “Blue”, finding it to be a sound-design masterpiece as much as a daring cinematographic experiment. And examining whether breeding racehorses has hit a genetic limit of speed. Additional audio taken from Blue Now featuring: Joelle Taylor, Russell Tovey, Jay Bernard, Neil B...
Jun 16, 2023•25 min
The investigation into covid-lockdown-era parties during Boris Johnson’s premiership—and his denials of their impropriety—comes to damning conclusions. Is it the end for the former prime minister ? Japan’s onsen hot baths exploit the country’s plentiful hot springs and are now in conflict with the push to develop geothermal energy. And building a better hypodermic needle, inspired by nature . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscr...
Jun 15, 2023•24 min
Conflict in Ukraine has cut short the “peace dividend” the world was reaping. We count the economic costs of a widespread return to a war footing. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s appointment of two economic realists should, at last, overturn Turkey’s upside-down monetary policy—if they are free to act. And why so many whales are washing up dead on America’s East Coast. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www....
Jun 14, 2023•26 min
Italy’s longest-serving prime minister has died aged 86. He inspired as much derision as devotion, and for all his gaffes and scandals he helped to shape the country’s media—and its economic malaise. Unfettered by the abandoned nuclear deal, Iran is now making its bomb programme unassailable . And bringing the 20th-century idea of “ Smell-o-vision ” into the 21st. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.econom...
Jun 13, 2023•25 min
Hints of the long campaign ahead are emerging, but all the operations so far are just drawing the eventual, full-scale battle lines. Cheap vaccinations could save millions of lives lost to cervical cancer; we ask why and where jab rates are falling . And why airlines have more money tied up in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffe...
Jun 12, 2023•25 min
He is expected to be charged for failing to return classified documents and obstructing justice. The former president denies wrongdoing, and any possible convictions are still a long way away, but how does this affect his election campaign? Wildfires raging across Canada are choking New Yorkers. We take a closer look at the air quality data. And Putin’s alleged birth mother dies in Georgia. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscrip...
Jun 09, 2023•26 min
The country’s military is renowned for political overreach. Now, its leaders are taking on former prime minister Imran Khan . Is violent unrest on the horizon? Why a new Polish law to rid the country of Russian influence could threaten its democracy. And, the Japanese are taking a new approach to funerals . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Jun 08, 2023•25 min
Fertility rates are falling to worrying levels, and an older, smaller, global population is bad news for economic growth. Apple’s new headset could revolutionise the virtual reality world, but only if it sells. And, despite being in decline for decades, the tide is turning for Britain’s seaside towns . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...
Jun 07, 2023•26 min
After months of waiting, probing attacks have begun. A destroyed dam in Kherson suggests that Russia is upping the ante in response. But what else is in store? Uyghurs are still suffering in Xinjiang, and those who managed to escape China are being gagged. And, our columnist has some advice on keeping it together when the office is driving you mad . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelli...
Jun 06, 2023•24 min
At a meeting of defence ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington were all too apparent. A naval spat in the Taiwan Strait looms large over relations. What will it take for both sides to talk? In Brazil, Lula faces an uphill battle to undo his predecessor’s policies . And are British boarding schools worth it? For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.co...
Jun 05, 2023•25 min
Over two decades in office, the prime minister and her Awami League party have overseen impressive growth and reforms in a notoriously corrupt country—but that same firm hand may now be limiting Bangladesh’s progress . Our correspondent visits the frontier of a potentially transformative technology for reducing atmospheric carbon: direct air capture . And a listen to the astonishing boom in Spanish-language music. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free...
Jun 02, 2023•27 min
The country’s homophobes claim that homosexuality is a malign foreign import; in reality it was anti-LGBT groups from abroad who helped lay the ground for vicious new legislation. Starlink, a satellite-internet constellation, has given Ukraine a battlefield advantage; we ask why that has China’s army so concerned . And the unlikely resurgence of pinball , thanks to some canny marketing. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription...
Jun 01, 2023•23 min
Many of the continent’s economies are hamstrung by debt—much of it held internationally. We look at the growing need for closer co-operation between China, Western creditors and multilateral institutions. A city on Ukraine’s front line has become an unlikely locus for love stories . And unpicking the link between workers’ productivity and their drugs of choice . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economis...
May 31, 2023•26 min
The global digital-payments shift is more than just a matter of convenience. We examine the cashlessness push in different economies and potential effects on different currencies. The Golden Mile, a pioneering multi-purpose architectural experiment in Singapore, is crumbling. We discuss efforts to spare it from the wrecking ball. And a reading list to learn about, and from, history’s greatest hoaxes . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digit...
May 30, 2023•28 min
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again retained the presidency . We ask how the best chance in a generation to unseat him came unstuck—and what to expect from an emboldened autocrat. South Korea’s suicide rates have turned a dark corner, with deaths among women driving rising numbers . And Paul Simon’s new album prompts a look at musical hits first conceived in dreams . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economis...
May 29, 2023•22 min
