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...
Jun 26, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, dig...
Jun 23, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 , tr...
Jun 22, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 editi...
Jun 21, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jun 20, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Jun 19, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, ...
Jun 16, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 di...
Jun 15, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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 su...
Jun 09, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 08, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 07, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast From infantry to air defences and even electronic warfare, improved strategies and engineering could threaten Ukraine’s counter-offensive plans. How can these ramped-up defences be breached? What would a world of superintelligent AI look like? We use economic theory to conduct a thought experiment. And a tribute to the British novelist Martin Amis . Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free ...
May 26, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a glitchy announcement on Twitter, the Florida governor’s campaign is off to a shaky start . And despite strong donor backing, he will struggle to secure the Republican party nomination. Airlines are under increasing pressure to decarbonise but their journey to net zero is going to be long and pricey. And, how British shows can make hay while the Hollywood writers strike. Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions o...
May 25, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Although Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party fell short of a majority in parliament, meaning there will be a second vote, the incumbent prime minister did much better than expected. Will he be able to continue the country’s rebound story? America’s clean energy investments are spurring green lobbyists to action. And, how might simple nets protect Ukrainians from drones? Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist ,...
May 24, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In attempts to amass more wealth, these organisations are dabbling in newer narcotics and even taking on the mining sector . The result is taking a toll on the country’s economy. Can a 100-year-old discovery solve the problem of antibiotic resistance? And we celebrate the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s first folio . 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 23, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, the president will meet with the Republican leader in the house of representatives to try and prevent the country from defaulting . But what if they cannot come to an agreement? Britain is reviewing its surrogacy laws which could ease the process for gay parents. And come with us on a foraging adventure. Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to...
May 22, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Henry Kissinger was one of the most influential and controversial diplomats of the 20th century. He was National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to two American presidents. Now, with China’s growing influence and the prospect of powerful technology that could change the nature of war, his ideas on great power conflict are more relevant than ever . On the eve of his 100th birthday, The Economist spent over eight hours in conversation with Mr Kissinger. In this podcast special, we focus on...
May 20, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over the last couple of decades, the state has been making significant investments into its armed forces in an attempt to challenge America’s dominance. We ask how much further they will go. When the Ukraine war sent energy prices soaring, the consequences for Europe proved fatal . And, a tribute to the father of Tibetan film. Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital su...
May 19, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tomorrow, Syria’s president will be welcomed back into the Arab League as regional leaders meet in Jeddah. Is this the dictator’s first step in a journey to restore ties with the rest of the world? America’s small banks are capturing rural communities in a way that the big ones can’t. And, the world’s largest sporting tournament features some rather niche events. Take our listener survey at www.economist.com/intelligencesurvey For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist...
May 18, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a conversation that lasted eight hours over two days, the statesman discussed paths to peace in Ukraine, his evolving view on their NATO membership, and where China comes into play. Our crony-capitalism index is back, and the chart-topping culprits haven’t changed so much. And, the toymaker, Lego , is facing roadblocks in China. 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 17, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
