What’s China really up to in the Arctic? | The Economist

2026-02-27

Donald Trump has been amassing American forces across the Middle East, as he seeks to pressure Iran to limit its nuclear programme. The president is apparently “curious” as to why Tehran has not capitulated.

But where are his troops? And what are the forces capable of?

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2026-02-25

The Economist’s Mexico Bureau Chief, Sarah Birke, and Jason Palmer, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss Mexico’s future after the country’s most notorious drug lord, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, died after a raid by authorities.

00:00 – Who was El Mencho?
01:13 – How powerful and widespread is the cartel?
02:13 – Why could his death trigger more violence?
03:02 – Why did the government act now?
04:07 – Is the violence really over?
05:16 – What are the risks for Mexico’s economy and the World Cup?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4cORWhv
The killing of Mexico’s most powerful narco will please Donald Trump: https://econ.st/4aCqDWu
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2026-01-05

Donald Trump has captured the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and put him in American custody. The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes asks a panel of our experts which countries could be next on the president’s list.

2025-11-24

Should parents be able to choose the sex of their baby? Advances in sex-selective IVF are making this an option in some parts of the world.

2025-11-20

Can Gaza be rebuilt? Gregg Carlstrom, our Middle East Correspondent and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss the scale of the destruction in Gaza and why every major plan to rebuild Gaza has stalled.

00:00 – What rebuilding proposals are on the table?
00:59 – How bad is the destruction in Gaza?
02:25 – Could that Egyptian plan work?
06:01 – Can the Israeli–American plan work?
08:16 – What happens in the interim?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3LHyrfA
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#TheEconomist #Gaza #Israel

2025-10-03

How close is humanity to discovering life on Mars? NASA scientist Dr Katie Stack Morgan joins Alok Jha, host of The Babbage podcast, to discuss new research that might finally answer the age-old question.

Thumbnail image source: NASA

00:00 – What makes Perseverance the most advanced Mars rover ever?
02:02 – What exactly did Perseverance discover in Sapphire Canyon?
03:39 – Could the “poppy seeds” and “leopard spots” on the Martian rock be signs of life?
06:11 – When did scientists start thinking this might be biological?
07:55 – What needs to happen to confirm life on Mars?
08:46 – Will these Martian samples ever make it back to Earth?
09:49 – What would it mean to prove life once existed on Mars?

#TheEconomist #Mars #nasa

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4nC5Ru2
NASA has

2025-09-30

Following pressure from Donald Trump, Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has been strong-armed into a Gaza peace deal. Our Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom considers whether Hamas will agree to the deal.

2025-09-25

President Trump has taken the unusual step of stabilising Argentina’s peso, showing just how far he’ll go to support ideological allies like Javier Milei. Our Latin America correspondent, Kinley Salmon, explains why this intervention may do little for Argentina’s economy—or Milei’s re-election