Category Archive: 5) Global Macro

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Tomes will tell: books that predict the future

2024-12-26

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Some people read books to escape. Others turn to them for instruction. As the new year looms, our correspondents – and listeners – consider which titles can help forecast what’s coming next. Picks include “Rainbows End” by Vernor Vinge, “Nuclear War” by Annie Jacobsen, “Not the End of the World” by Hannah Richie and “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey. This is a full list of the books mentioned in the show: “Rainbow’s End, A Deepness in the Sky and A...

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Good moos: cows could help the climate

2024-12-24

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Cows (https://www.economist.com/international/2024/12/12/what-has-four-stomachs-and-could-change-the-world?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) produce far more milk in rich countries than in poor ones. Our correspondent explains how beefing up bovine productivity could feed more people and reduce...

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The club rules? India’s RSS

2024-12-23

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Is it a community-minded boys’ club, like the Scouts? A breeding ground for seething Hindu nationalism? A paramilitary puppetmaster of India’s governing elite? Our correspondent attends the annual bash of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. As Gulf countries diversify away from oil, their leaders are shifting their focus to science and innovation (11:03). And introducing our word of the year...

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Country of the year: The Economist picks

2024-12-20

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In the past 12 months, there has been no lack of news. Editors at The Economist have picked their way through the rubble to uncover some optimism: which country (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/12/19/the-economists-country-of-the-year-for-2024?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) has seen the greatest...

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Between Estonia and a hard place: NATO meets

2024-12-19

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At the icy border between Russia and Estonia, the anxieties of NATO member states are clear, our correspondent reports. Leaders there have been debating defence spending...

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Mass graves: revealing Syria’s horror

2024-12-18

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Ten days after the fall of Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad, the full brutality of his rule (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/12/09/inside-bashar-al-assads-dungeons?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) is being uncovered. Our correspondent travels to a site near Damascus, thought to be a...

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Why Putin is in an economic bind #Putin #Russia #Ukraine #geopolitics

2024-12-17

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Most central banks are cutting interest rates. But Russia has recently hiked them—to 21%. Why? Because Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is overheating his economy

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Scholz fired: Germany calls snap election

2024-12-17

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After Olaf Scholz (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/12/13/what-to-expect-after-germanys-confidence-vote?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), Germany’s chancellor, lost a confidence vote in parliament yesterday, Germany is preparing for a snap election. Urban waste is a growing problem...

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Will Russian troops stay in Syria?

2024-12-16

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Since the fall of Assad’s regime there’s been speculation over the future of Russia’s presence in Syria. Our Middle East correspondent reports on negotiations that might mean Russia will be able to keep its military bases #syria #assad #middleeast #russia #geopolitics

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Off-side: Georgians reject new president

2024-12-16

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This weekend, the ruling Georgian Dream party elected a new president – but only one name was on the ballot. That sparked further street protests, as our correspondent reports. Why a new US administration will find it hard to cut costs at NASA...

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Minds blown: are we getting dumber?

2024-12-13

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Many adults perform worse (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/12/12/can-you-read-as-well-as-a-ten-year-old?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) in tests of literacy and numeracy than the average ten year old. And results have worsened in the past decade. Are our brains rotting? Russia’s economy...

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Intel in slide: a chipmaker on the ropes

2024-12-12

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Layoffs, suspended dividends, a share price in free fall, a chief executive hustled out the door: Intel is in a bad way (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/12/02/intels-troubles-deepen-as-its-boss-makes-an-abrupt-exit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). But America needs a chipmaking champion, so what...

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Could AI build cities in space?

2024-12-12

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Fast forward into the future, when building in space is normal, from huge satellites and spacecraft in orbit, to entire cities on the Moon and Mars. Could robots guided by AI make it happen? Video supported by @mishcon_de_reya 00:00 - Future of building in space 00:43 - Machina Labs 02:15 - Could we 3D print in space? 02:44 - Infrastructure on the Moon 03:25 - AI & robotics on Mars 04:41 - History of AI in space 05:41 - Challenges to...

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Bye, cell: inside a notorious Syrian prison

2024-12-11

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As Syrians awoke to a new era, thousands rushed to fling open the dark, filthy prisons (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/12/09/inside-bashar-al-assads-dungeons?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) where Bashar al-Assad locked up dissenters. Our correspondent followed along. The first of...

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Bringing up Bibi: Netanyahu testifies

2024-12-10

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For five years the prospect of a criminal prosecution has loomed over Binyamin Netanyahu. Today he becomes the first Israeli prime minister to testify as a defendant. A shocking fraction of master’s degrees confer no financial benefit—and may even leave degree-holders worse off...

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Russia to Discuss Military Bases With Syria’s New Rulers, Says Kremlin | World News | WION Pulse

2024-12-09

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The Kremlin said on Monday that it was too early to say what the future would hold for Russia's military bases in Syria, adding that it would be the subject of discussion with the new rulers in Damascus.

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Peace from pieces: Syria after Assad

2024-12-09

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President Bashar al-Assad has been run out, his regime in tatters. As Syrians awaken to a new era, how can they put their broken country back together (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/12/08/who-will-rule-syria-now-the-assad-regime-has-been-toppled?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)...

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US Announces Nearly $1 Billion in New Military Aid for Ukraine | World News | WION

2024-12-08

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The United States on Saturday announced a nearly $1 billion security assistance package for Ukraine as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Watch for more details!

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Ashes to Masses: Notre Dame’s stunning return

2024-12-06

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Many thought a five-year timeline was too ambitious. But even as France’s politics falls apart, it has managed to put the cathedral back together with aplomb...

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Michel shock: France’s government falls

2024-12-05

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An alliance of the far right and the left has sacked (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/12/04/frances-parliament-fires-the-prime-minister?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) Prime Minister Michel Barnier; out goes his budget and the government. Can President Emmanuel Macron find a stable path between...

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