Are lab-grown diamonds too successful?

2025-01-29

China’s DeepSeek AI lab has disrupted stock prices. Several major American tech firms were left reeling after DeepSeek’s development of a cutting-edge language model, made for less than $6m. Our AI writer, Alex Hern, explains what happened

2025-01-22

The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine how this extortion affects world trade (https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2025/01/18/inside-the-houthis-moneymaking-machine?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). China is fast closing its gap (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/09/19/chinas-ai-firms-are-cleverly-innovating-around-chip-bans?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) with America on AI innovation, and

2025-01-17

This week Blue Origin (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/01/01/can-jeff-bezos-match-elon-musk-in-space?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), Jeff Bezos’s space-exploration company, successfully launched a rocket into orbit on its first attempt. That marks a new frontier in the private space industry. Donald Trump has threatened mass deportations (https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/01/09/how-far-will-donald-trump-go-to-get-rid-of-illegal-immigrants?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 illegal immigrants. What will

2024-11-21

What will the world’s richest man do in the White House? Our correspondent analyses the political and ideological role Elon Musk (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/11/17/how-to-make-elon-musks-budget-slashing-dreams-come-true?

2024-11-14

China is enacting a rapid project of military modernisation (https://www.economist.com/china/2024/11/04/in-some-areas-of-military-strength-china-has-surpassed-america?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). Though in some areas its forces are already stronger than America, that does not mean China is ready for war. Why luxury shoppers (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/10/10/can-mytheresa-make-luxury-e-commerce-a-success?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) are no longer buying so much online (10:16). And remembering Balthazar Uscha,

2024-11-08

Donald Trump will inherit a tangle of conflicts in the Middle East; will he deliver on his promise to “stop the wars”? That will depend on who has his ear (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/11/07/will-donald-trump-stop-the-wars-in-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). Our correspondent says the way to better rehabilitate people in British prisons is to take some of them out (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/10/24/decarceration-is-the-key-to-better-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)

2024-09-24

A handful of Republican leaders have been denouncing Donald Trump since his first presidential campaign. Will the voices of those who remain be heeded (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/14/the-never-trump-movement-has-leaders-what-about-followers?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) this time around? China’s attempt to fix its pensions by raising the retirement age will create a different problem

2024-09-13

On Tuesday night in Philadelphia Donald Trump and Kamala Harris took part in what might be the only debate (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/11/kamala-harris-makes-donald-trump-look-out-of-his-depth?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=checksandbalance&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) between them in this campaign. The race is extremely close (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/11/the-systemic-bias-kamala-harris-must-overcome-in-order-to-win?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=checksandbalance&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners): will the debate make any difference?

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard