Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday this award-winning podcast picks three stories shaping your world—the big shifts in politics, business and culture, plus things you never knew you needed to know. On Saturdays, download The Weekend Intelligence to dive deep into a single story, vividly told.
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Intel was once synonymous with chip-making, but in recent years it has fallen behind. Now the Trump administration may become its biggest shareholder. A political assassination in Colombia raises fears about a return to violence. And what an annual snail race tells us about rural England. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs pag...
With China as its new rival, America is reviving old wartime facilities across the Pacific. Our correspondent visits an abandoned airfield that has been given new life. The outlook for climate technology is surprisingly bright. And why the universe of Hello Kitty keeps expanding. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watc...
As the world’s biggest gaming fair gets underway, our correspondent looks at the surprising success of Britain, the world’s third-largest exporter of video games . Europeans are giving up their vices, so the public takings from sin taxes are falling. And the rise of “ Bangla Teslas ”: battery-powered rickshaws in Bangladesh. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist...
After an inconclusive summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the stakes are high for Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with the US president in Washington today. Enter the “solopreneur” : why AI is allowing entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses on their own. And a 400-year-old Chinese cough syrup is enjoying new-found popularity. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more informa...
Opinions of Hamas are shifting—among its international backers, in Gaza, even within its affiliates’ ranks. If it opts to disarm, what would happen next ? A new analysis suggests using a sense of risk to explain markets’ movements might be focusing on the wrong emotion . And our final “ Archive 1945 ” instalment relives VJ day through The Economist ’s coverage at the time. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+...
In Norway’s north, a geopolitical quirk may yet transform into a geopolitical conflict. We visit Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago that contains a Russian company town complete with a bust of Lenin . Ahead of the high-stakes, high-north summit in Alaska , our correspondents lay out why—perhaps even more than the Baltic states—the Arctic might be the flashpoint for Russia’s next bout of expansionism. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to a...
First he came for the gangs; then, for his critics. Now Nayib Bukele has come for El Salvador’s constitution, and there is little to stop him staying in office indefinitely . America’s paltry fertility numbers show a counterintuitive pattern : births are falling fastest where they were once highest. And France’s Provence region becomes a brand unto itself . Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit o...
A look at progress in generative AI shows that OpenAI’s latest, greatest model sits on a neat curve of growing utility over time. But what other firms are on that curve, and where is it taking humanity? After a long, wary time, Japanese savers are getting into investing— with gusto . And what goofy, small-time wrestling leagues reveal about today’s America. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit o...
What is on the table for the meeting in Alaska ? What are the red lines? What chance Ukraine would accept what is agreed, especially if its president is not even in the room? Many world cities would like to become the Detroit of electric vehicles; our correspondent visits China’s contenders . And treatments improve for even the worst cases of allergies . Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our ...
We take an expansive look at how much the Israeli justice system is holding its war machine to account. The results are so far unpromising . The idea, popular on social media, of “job-hopping” to ratchet up pay is looking ever less wise . And a look back on the life of Father Patrick Ryan , unrepentant improver of the IRA’s bombs. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our v...
Donald Trump's latest tariffs are taking effect, but the economic burden is largely borne by American consumers and businesses, not the exporting countries. Meanwhile, the US Space Command is bolstering its defenses and offensive capabilities for a new age of competition and potential conflict in Earth's orbit, driven by rising threats from nations like China and Russia. Separately, the episode explores the curious Gen Z trend of personalized, oversized water bottles, which have evolved into a fashion statement and a marketing phenomenon.
The episode delves into Somalia's recent setbacks in state-building, highlighting how constitutional changes have exacerbated internal conflicts and reduced foreign aid, while also exploring regional successes and the potential for a new international approach. It examines the evolving landscape of crime in Britain, noting a decrease in overall offenses but a significant drop in solved cases due to the rise of more complex, digitally-enabled crimes. Finally, it commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, reflecting on its devastating immediate impact and the broader geopolitical questions it raised about war, peace, and technological advancement.
The world’s biggest strategy consultant has smaller rivals nipping at its heels . As it nears 100 years old, we ask how it will navigate a tricky AI-inflected future. It is already hard enough to fiddle with travel plans to get the cheapest flight. A new thing to consider? Whether you’re flying solo . And in America, women’s-sports bars are proliferating. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our...
Donald Trump’s mission to bend higher education to his will maintains its sharpest focus on Harvard. Will the venerable university settle—and should it? Our correspondents meet with France’s top general , who believes Russia will threaten Europe sooner than many people think. And a look at how satire changes when politics is beyond parody and its practitioners cannot be shamed. Impressions courtesy of George Simpson Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more informa...
This episode explores the diplomatic implications of Canada, the UK, and France's announcements to recognize a Palestinian state, debating the timing and effectiveness of such leverage on Israel. It then shifts to an economic discussion, examining Silicon Valley's optimistic projections of explosive growth driven by superintelligent AI and contrasting it with historical economic trends. Finally, it pays tribute to the late Tom Lehrer, celebrating his unique blend of mathematical precision and biting satirical song, which fearlessly skewered politics and society.
This episode explores the current struggles of LVMH, the luxury empire, despite its massive scale and Bernard Arnault's market-creating legacy, questioning its future amid declining sales and internal missteps. It also delves into the dangerous allure of South Korean K-dramas for North Koreans, who risk severe punishment or death to watch them, as they expose the realities of the outside world. Finally, it uses the Big Mac Index to analyze how Donald Trump's tariffs have paradoxically weakened the dollar while raising consumer prices, failing to boost US exports.
President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another ousted president who clung to power. India has surpassed China as Asia’s biggest private-jet buyer , but not only because of rising numbers of super-rich. And Hong Kong’s quirky fusion cafes bloom abroad as they thin out at home. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcast...
Localised “tactical pauses” in Gaza relieve international pressure on Israel more than they relieve the pressure of starvation on Gazans. We ask how the aid effort looks on the ground. Japan’s law on couples sharing surnames is coming under fire; repealing it might actually help with the birthrate. And how Bad Bunny brought Spanish to the top of the charts . Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit ...
The episode delves into the details of the latest US-EU trade accord, analyzing its tariffs, zero-tariff provisions, and EU commitments, and assessing its impact on both economies. It then shifts to discuss the overlooked English Midlands, exploring its cultural richness, political importance, and why it struggles for recognition. Finally, The Economist's obituaries editor remembers Fauja Singh, an extraordinary man who began his marathon running career at age 88, despite childhood leg weakness, and whose records were never officially recognized.
The smartphone giant is now making strong inroads in the electric-vehicle market. But can its boss’s belovedness at home translate to success abroad? Britain and Argentina are putting past differences behind them as the South Atlantic becomes a strategic hotspot. And how women’s sports, already sharply on the rise , can get bigger still. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watc...
A new bill threatening the independence of anti-corruption agencies has brought Ukrainians onto the streets and rattled international observers. London’s electric bikes are making it ever more a cycling city —and plugging longstanding transport gaps. And a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne , who did perhaps more than anyone to found the genre of heavy metal. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs ...
Overall, more people are dying from cancer. But a closer look at the numbers reveals just how much success modern medicine has had at making the disease less deadly. The spiraling fortunes of Kraft Heinz since its formation from a merger is a sign of a wider malaise in the food industry. And Germany’s football-playing parliamentarians cannot keep politics off the pitch . Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, ...
Even as Western countries band together to condemn Israel’s actions, aid remains at a trickle and the war is expanding into a central-Gazan city. We ask how the horrors might end. As with many technologies before it, many worry artificial intelligence will ultimately dumb down its human users; will it ? And why so many American men are injecting testosterone . Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visi...
The Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the country’s politics for seven decades, just got a pasting at the polls—again. We ask why staid politics are getting swiftly messy . Iceland is a NATO member in a volatile region; at last it must consider raising its own army . And the tricky balance of company culture, job satisfaction and working from home. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ . For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visi...
Once again, commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea are being attacked. Our correspondent explains why Houthi rebels , an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, have regrouped. The islands of Tuvalu are sinking. Now Australia is offering residents the world’s first “climate visas”. And remembering Dutch agronomist Simon Groot . Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist ...
UK universities are internationally renowned, but their finances are in a mess. Our correspondent offers a lesson in how to fix them. Why an amateur football league is thriving in China. And what Superman tells us about American foreign policy. Listeners of “The Intelligence” get 15% off our business writing and storytelling course. Visit economist.com/writingcourse and use code INTELLIGENCE Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Ec...
The business model of the internet is built on people visiting sites to find out information. As Artificial Intelligence changes how we navigate the web, our correspondent weighs the long-term consequences. Meet Austria’s “accidental chancellor” Christian Stocker. And fancy a beach holiday in North Korea ? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please ...
For months, Donald Trump has appeared to back Vladimir Putin. Now, frustrated at the lack of a ceasefire and fed up with Russia, the US president is offering to send weapons to Kyiv. Trust-busters are investigating a whiff of price-fixing in the perfume industry. And why bilingual people may have healthier brains. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+,...
After Thailand’s constitutional court suspended the country’s prime minister, our correspondent explains the need for fresh elections to avoid economic stagnation – and the possibility of the army stepping in. More celebrities are setting up businesses. And what the sea slug can teach us about evolution. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please vi...
On December 8th, 2024, rebels swept into Damascus and ousted Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. One of the first things they did was open up the prisons. Syrians who disappeared years earlier began to emerge from their grim detention cells. Would missing American journalist Austin Tice be among them? In a new three-part series on The Weekend Intelligence , Middle East correspondent, Gareth Browne investigates what happened to Austin and explores what his story reveals about Assad's Republic of F...
