Will Russian troops stay in Syria?

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)

2024-09-13

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

2024-07-17

If you don’t have enough food in the first 1,000 days of your life, your brain may never reach its full potential. Our correspondent discusses what better nutrition (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/11/how-to-raise-the-worlds-iq?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.listener) would mean for the world. Undersea cables are the arteries of our telecommunications system, but that also makes them vulnerable (https://www.economist.com/international/2024/07/11/how-china-and-russia-could-hobble-the-internet?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) (9:13).

2024-07-09

It was formed to unite the world’s strongest countries and preserve peace, but as NATO holds a celebration summit for its 75th anniversary, it faces tricky challenges (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/04/how-to-trump-proof-americas-alliances). Climate change is jeopardising Scottish salmon (https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/06/17/climate-change-casts-a-shadow-over-britains-biggest-food-export), one of Britain’s biggest food exports (10:15). And why North Korea is sending hot air balloons (https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/06/26/why-north-korea-is-sending-its-rubbish-to-the-south) over to the South, filled with rubbish and faeces (16:50).

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2024-07-04

It has changed our lives and become one of the world’s most valuable companies. As Amazon turns 30 (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/01/what-next-for-amazon-as-it-turns-30?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), what comes next? Education is key to social mobility in India (https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/06/27/narendra-modi-needs-to-win-over-low-income-indians?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), so protests have erupted over widespread cheating in university entrance exams, presenting Modi’s new government with its first

2024-07-01

Why are two old, unpopular men the main candidates for the world’s most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.

Since 1992, every American president bar one has been a white man born in the 1940s. That run looks likely to span 36 years – not far off the age of the median American. This cohort was born with aces in their pockets. Their parents defeated Nazism and won the cold war. They hit the jobs market at an unmatched period of wealth creation. They have benefitted from giant leaps in technology, and in racial and gender equality.

And yet, their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near