Elizabeth II was devoted to the Commonwealth , a club of countries that are home to one-third of the world’s population. What is its future under Charles III? Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s most charming and cosmopolitan city, which Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, is swiftly bulldozing. And why China’s economy may struggle to overtake America’s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 20, 2022•23 min
Two years in the making, the country’s new foundational document was summarily swatted down in a referendum. We ask how it went so wrong, and what comes next. Data show a long-held view on fertility and prosperity is not as straightforward as thought; we examine the policy implications. And learning about HARM —the missiles causing so much harm to Russian forces. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on A...
Sep 19, 2022•22 min
Five years after a brutal campaign that drove nearly 750,000 out of Myanmar and into Bangladesh, conditions for the Muslim minority remain appalling on both sides of the border . Central Asian countries are laying plans for railways that would fill their coffers, distance Russia and empower China. And the economics lessons in London’s queue to see Queen Elizabeth II. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted ...
Sep 16, 2022•25 min
As the presidents of China and Russia meet in Uzbekistan , we examine their friendship. They have much in common—but Russia’s prosecution of the war in Ukraine may strain relations. Islamic State and al-Qaeda may be less in the news but their foothold in Africa only keeps growing . And why so many young Korean city-slickers are becoming farmers in the countryside. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on ...
Sep 15, 2022•26 min
A conflict smouldering since a war in 2020 has again caught alight ; Azerbaijan may feel emboldened by a distracted Russia and its own energy prospects. Gulf countries are swimming in piles of unexpected, oil-derived cash: we ask whether they will sock it away or splurge on citizens and pet projects. And why many Lebanese couples are choosing to wed online . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast....
Sep 14, 2022•25 min
Vladimir Putin hopes the threat of cutting off fuel supplies this winter will weaken Europe’s support for Ukraine. European leaders are trying to cobble together a collective response to prevent such fracturing. Before Russia invaded, Ukraine’s surrogacy industry was booming. It has since been disrupted, but not ended. And Britain’s bird populations are changing: we ask why. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer...
Sep 13, 2022•25 min
Russia has lost in a week what cost it months to gain in eastern Ukraine. We ask what the lightning counter-offensive means for the war. What is more surprising than Mississippi’s capital lacking access to clean drinking water is that millions of other Americans face the same struggle. And the quasi-astrological methods some investors use to predict market movements. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted ...
Sep 12, 2022•27 min
The death of Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of an era . We explore her long, dutiful reign and how it shaped the modern monarchy. The country has changed substantially during her time, but one parallel remains: her successor, King Charles III, will also take over at a time of uncertainty for the country and for the monarchy itself. 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 fo...
Sep 09, 2022•20 min
In Brazil, fears are growing that if Jair Bolsonaro loses in October, as polls suggest is likely, he may try to stage a coup or foment violence. He’s been sowing distrust in the country’s electoral system, and many of his supporters are well-armed. Should school lunches be free? And why the gap between the number of boys and girls born in India is narrowing. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast....
Sep 08, 2022•28 min
Our model, built to predict the outcome of this year’s midterm elections , tips Republicans to take the House and Democrats to retain control of the Senate. The model’s architect discusses how and why he built it, and our polling guru explains why polls matter. Why there’s no nuclear-arms race in Asia —yet. And Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone back, but it’s not that simple. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Ho...
Sep 07, 2022•27 min
As Liz Truss becomes prime minister, we ask whether her meat-and-potatoes tax-slashing agenda will work for a crisis-stricken Britain. Japan’s prison population is ageing just as its wider society is—and that is at last prompting reforms to its punitive penal system. And why Ukraine’s short supply of anti-tank missiles is not as worrying as it would once have been. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on...
Sep 06, 2022•22 min
The worst predictions for costs have not come to pass , partly because Russia is selling plenty of wheat. But plenty of food-price woe may still await. We examine the curious re-appearance of the polio virus in the West. And the trials of “ Pink Sauce ” reveal the perils of being a cottage-food producer—or consumer—in the social-media age. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
Sep 05, 2022•25 min
After a five-month hiatus, violence has returned to the northern region of Tigray—but that is just one of the conflicts threatening to pull the country to pieces. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made it a prominent developing-world lender. How will it deal with so many of its loans souring? And our obituaries editor reflects on Issey Miyake’s fashion-for-the-masses philosophy. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligen...
Sep 02, 2022•24 min
The long-trailed counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied regional powerhouse and symbolically powerful provincial capital has begun . But Ukraine’s forces are in no hurry. Visa and Mastercard are two of the world’s most profitable companies; we look at efforts to break their iron grip on the payments market. And the blue-blooded horseshoe crabs that are needlessly bled in their millions. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist...
Sep 01, 2022•25 min
The leader who oversaw the Soviet Union’s collapse had only intended to reform it. But the propaganda and repression he abhorred were what held it together. A speed bump lies ahead for electric vehicles: manufacturing and mining capacity may not keep up with battery demand. And visiting a vast landscape sculpture in Nevada’s desert ahead of this week’s public opening. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted...
Aug 31, 2022•26 min
As interest rates rise, lots of pandemic-era property trends are fading—but not every market is equally vulnerable as the boom peters out . Generals have long avoided fighting in cities: it is messy and dangerous. Increasingly, though, they have no choice . And our language columnist on the subtle question of whether “data” is plural or singular . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast....
Aug 30, 2022•23 min
Our correspondent reports from Somalia , which stands on the brink of famine thanks to a drought, soaring food costs and infrastructure destroyed by decades of fighting. Old Hollywood studios are waging an epic battle against their upstart streaming rivals. And why London’s cemeteries are selling used graves. 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 29, 2022•25 min
America’s federal government will spend hundreds of billions of dollars cancelling student-loan debt—fulfilling a long-standing progressive wish. But while it may be good politics, the policy rationale makes less sense. Too many Nigerian children are sent to beg on the streets by their religious teachers. And celebrating the music and culture of one of Europe’s oldest ethnic minorities. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , subscribe here www.economist.com/intel...
Aug 26, 2022•24 min
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
