2024 in 90 seconds

2024-12-16

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 (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/12/05/nasa-is-an-obvious-target-for-elon-musks-axe?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) (12:19). And the enduring appeal of the martini

2024-12-03

The country has been turning increasingly away from Europe and towards Russia—but a halt to EU-accession talks has sparked enormous demonstrations (https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/12/02/huge-anti-russian-protests-in-tbilisi-echo-ukraines-maidan?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). Researchers know unequivocally that ultra-processed foods are bad for you; we look into the persistent question of why

2024-10-10

Global warming is increasing the intensity of storms like the one that just hit Florida (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/10/09/how-florida-should-respond-to-hurricane-milton?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). Our correspondent explains the science. In a week of reflection on the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, we consider the Palestinian experience (https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/10/03/has-the-war-in-gaza-radicalised-young-palestinians?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) (10:58). And why nuclear clocks

2024-10-07

After Hamas militants attacked Israel a year ago, few people predicted how deep and devastating the ensuing conflict in the Middle East (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/10/03/the-year-that-shattered-the-middle-east?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) would be. The Economist’s Middle East experts discuss whether the fissures may ever be fixed (https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/10/03/the-bloodshed-in-the-middle-east-is-fast-expanding?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), including dispatches from Israel

2024-09-16

With less than eight weeks to go to the presidential election, tension is running high after a second probable assassination attempt (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/16/another-attempt-on-donald-trumps-life-will-shake-up-the-election?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)on Donald Trump. Has political violence become routine in America? Virtual replicas (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/08/29/digital-twins-are-fast-becoming-part-of-everyday-life?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) of racing cars, plane engines, even

2024-08-14

Looking for your next summer read? Our deputy culture editor, Rachel Lloyd, shares five of The Economist’s top fiction books of 2024—so far.

2024-08-07

Tim Walz, a folksy Midwesterner who came late to politics, is on the Democratic ticket. We ask how he got there (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/08/06/why-kamala-harris-picked-tim-walz-as-her-running-mate?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) and whether he was the best tactical pick. A visit to Lebanon reveals a sense of foreboding, as a sharper war between Israel and Hizbullah seems inevitable

2024-07-29

After an airstrike killed 12 children in Israel-controlled territory (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/07/28/israeli-retaliation-in-lebanon-seems-inevitable?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) at the weekend, retaliation in Lebanon seems inevitable. The end result could be a war on multiple fronts. British prisons are in crisis, so what should the new Labour government (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/18/how-labour-should-reform-britains-overstuffed-prisons?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) do (10:07)? And