Largely thanks to young, liberal citizens, a reformist third party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election. But a powerful army and influential incumbents could look to prevent its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, taking charge. Bureaucracy is getting in the way of America’s international aid programme . And, with the help of DNA sequencing, a new ocean survey is on the hunt for 100,000 new species. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a fre...
May 16, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite the opposition’s lead in the pre-election polls, the incumbent president seems to have performed better than expected. What does a run-off mean for the nation? The mental health of teenage girls is plummeting and according to our data, social media might be to blame. And, have you ever wondered what it takes to be a spy? Start with our reading list . Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey And for full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Econ...
May 15, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The past few years have proved tumultuous both for American consumers and for retailers selling to them. The end result is a curious slump for middle-of-the-road brands. Artificial intelligence like ChatGPT stands to disrupt everything from art to coding; we self-interestedly explore probable effects on journalism . And remembering Ranajit Guha , a historian who saw a different India by looking bottom-up. Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey And for full access ...
May 12, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast It is probably this year’s most important election—and for the first time in a long time, the country’s strongman leader has a plausible adversary . Our correspondent heads along to the Hollywood writers’ strike , finding an age-old conflict centred on the technologies that shape the film-and-television industry. And the books to read to become a better home bartender . Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey And for full access to print, digital and audio editions of Th...
May 11, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast A jury unanimously found Donald Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation. We examine his first major legal loss . Thailand’s opposition looks set to prevail in this weekend’s election—whether it ends up in office is another matter. And, Ukraine is blowing up tanks, but not in the way you might think; we explore the battlefield value of inflatable decoys . Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey And for full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economi...
May 10, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our Russia and defence editors travelled to the capital, finding a city largely back to normal. They ask both civilians and the country’s top brass about Ukraine's position —and its future. China’s population-control measures worked perhaps too well, yet even an incipient labour-market crisis is not changing resistance to immigration. And the issues with America’s springtime rattlesnake round-ups . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital ...
May 09, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Their return to rule is unequivocally bad for the country’s women and girls. But wholesale collapse has not come and some aspects of government have improved ; it turns out threats of grotesque violence change behaviours. We investigate the curious case of Morocco’s absent king —and his unlikely mixed-martial-artist pals. And how the mobile phone has shaped cinema for half a century. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by...
May 08, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast He has been king since September; now it is time for the pomp . We examine the modern monarchy—and the ancient frippery of coronations. Despite prior reluctance to do much about climate change, America is set to become a clean-energy superpower . And reflecting on the life of Carolyn Bryant , whose testimony led to a lynching that set off America’s civil-rights movement. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www...
May 05, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Florida’s governor has made a headline-grabbing rightward lurch as part of a presumed bid for the White House. But both Mr DeSantis’s critics and his donors are starting to think he has overplayed his hand . Our correspondent finds that jihadist violence has, as was long feared, come to Burkina Faso . And rural America’s love affair with Japan’s tiny Kei trucks . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economi...
May 04, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Geoffrey Hinton, a legend of artificial-intelligence research, wants to be able to speak his mind about the technology’s risks . We ask whether those steeped in a field are best-placed to judge it. It has long been clear Ukraine needs more fighter jets; we look at the ones it may get at last. And the first video game about the Holocaust . 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...
May 03, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Criminal networks have had to reorganise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with knock-on effects from Afghanistan to the Andes. We take a look at the scourge of abductions in Nigeria, and what is being done for the families of the missing. And Scotland’s Campbeltown whisky is enjoying a long-awaited resurgence . 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...
May 02, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Climate change is stirring up internecine conflicts , criminality is making them longer, and cross-border contagion is complicating matters further. We explain why civil wars are so hard to resolve. Japanese carmakers’ dominance of the automobile industry could be at risk if they don’t catch up in the race for EVs . And, a tribute to musician and civil-rights campaigner, Harry Belafonte . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscripti...
May 01, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast AS A GAS // As a gas producer, the state was able to build up enormous reserves. But failing to pivot when global prices fell has created debt, a dollar shortage and rampant panic. The exposure of Western companies to China suggests both poles are closer than politics suggests. And, the Italian team upsetting the status quo of European football. 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/intelligenc...
Apr 28, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the country prepares to go to the polls next year, The Economist sits down with the leader of the Labour Party. Could Sir Keir Starmer’s agenda revive the UK economy? Our data-driven analysis on the women most affected by the overturning of Roe v Wade. And, five books that illustrate the plights of Iranian women 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...
Apr 27, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast He made the same announcement on the same day four years ago and went on to win. But this time, the President is older and less popular. Could he be elected again? The rollout of a new education campaign in China shows just how much control Xi Jinping has. And, a deadly war tactic that is working well for Ukraine. 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...
Apr 26, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast ATTEMPTS TO MAINTAIN // Attempts to maintain a neutral stance on the invasion of Ukraine, while also buddying up with China, are sending confusing signals . Does Brazil have the heft to be a successful peace-broker? The gay Ukranian soldiers influencing policy from the front lines. And, what your voice says about your health. 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...
Apr 25, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ceasefires have failed, civilians are fleeing, and there is no end in sight to the fighting . We bring you an update on the escalating conflict. A Ukrainian church accused of spreading Russian propaganda is in trouble, raising questions about the limits of religious freedom. And a lucrative cricket league is about to get even more so by going global. 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/...
Apr 24, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a historic first, the largest rocket ever assembled managed to get off the ground. But then it exploded midair . We ask if this launch can still be called a success. Alexei Navalny is still holed up in tortuous conditions in Russia and could be facing even more charges. And, a tribute to a trendsetting fashion designer . For a full examination of Alexei Navalny’s story so far — told by the people who know him -- search for our Russia podcast "Next Year in Moscow". Or find it here economist.co...
Apr 21, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Deep in the mountains along the Thai border, a bloody civil war rages. Our correspondent gives us rare insight into one of the world’s oldest insurgencies. New, stringent election rules will soon be tested in Britain. We ask if voters are ready. And, the bubble tea franchise taking South-East Asia by storm. 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...
Apr 20, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The top-secret plan to pierce Russia’s defenses and reclaim territory could unfold any day now. We ask why this moment, in particular, could prove crucial. Migrants from a lesser-known coastal city in China are transforming the business environment in a number of European cities. And, the 50-year-old film that warned us about the state of the world today. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist...
Apr 19, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Contrary to the groaning of both Republicans and Democrats, the economy is still the world’s largest . How has this success been sustained? We ask why choosing the wrong degree could leave you worse off than if you had never bothered at all. And our correspondent’s picks of the books that have been banned. 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...
Apr 18, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Clashes in Khartoum have turned deadly as two rival military factions fight for power. As the conflict escalates, a transition to civilian rule could be in jeopardy. Europe’s cities have a worrying pollution problem and clearing the air is proving difficult. And a new way to measure the environmental impact of food. 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...
Apr 17, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It will be years until the country recovers from February’s devastating earthquakes—but progress toward that goal will determine whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins another mandate next month. Oft-overlooked data suggest that Africa’s baby boom is slowing , in a “demographic transition” the world has seen before. And remembering Traute Lafrenz , the last leafleter of the “White Rose” Nazi resistance. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-da...
Apr 14, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The International Monetary Fund is sitting on oodles of cash, but failing to disburse it. We examine why China’s lending practices are putting the IMF on a path to irrelevance . Climate change is already squeezing farmers in Latin America; some outright crazy agricultural policies are making matters worse. And reasons not to ban a well-known workplace species: the “ talented jerk ”. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by ...
Apr 13, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast A trove of once-secret documents is proving an embarrassment to both America and its allies, and a danger to Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive. The tech industry is shedding workers at a striking pace; we ask where all those laid-off experts are going . And more evidence that suggests pet ownership reduces childhood allergies . 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...
Apr 12, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The famed power-sharing deal did its work of sharply reducing sectarian violence, but a quarter-century on it has led to depressingly dysfunctional politics . The next generation of vaccines is already on the way —and the first thing to do is get them out of the freezer. And why the long-frothy market for works by Pablo Picasso may at last be cooling . 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/inte...
Apr 11, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many people think that with inflation and interest-rate rises abating, the worst effects on housing markets might be over. Not so fast . A study that reignited mask-wearing debates really should not have: there are simply not enough good data to prove either side’s case. And an immersive, participatory production of “Guys and Dolls” shows the way ahead for live-entertainment industries. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription...
Apr 10, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast These days the gaming industry takes in much more than the global cinema box office. We ask how things are changing, from gamers’ demographics to the games’ content. And a year after our last conversation with Dmytro, a heartsick resident of the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, we check back in to see how he has been. Additional music courtesy of Sabrepulse . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economis...
Apr 07, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s arrest of a Wall Street Journal correspondent is heading toward a diplomatic crisis —and will certainly chill foreign reporting in the country. It is startlingly easy to siphon money out of America’s social-welfare programmes, but devilishly difficult to thwart those efforts without threatening needy families. And ChatGPT may make things up, but it does so fluently in more than 50 languages. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digita...
Apr 06, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Perhaps the only surprising thing about the former president’s arraignment was that it was not followed by big demonstrations—but he did take to the airwaves to seethe. A global rice crisis is brewing; the world’s most important crop is fuelling both climate change and diabetes. And what connects leased pandas in America and Chinese nationalists’ anger . 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/in...
Apr 05, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
