Five novels you can read in a day
2025-03-17
Bored of battling through big books? Here are five novels you can read in a day
Sects and balances: a violent flare-up in Syria
2025-03-11
Horrifying attacks on Alawites, the sect of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, throw into question the power—or the will—of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s leader, to maintain peace (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/10/a-horrific-killing-spree-shakes-syria?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). For the first time in decades it now makes more sense to pay off a mortgage early (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/13/why-you-should-repay-your-mortgage-early?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) (10:36).
Heir-raising: the boom in inheritance
2025-02-27
As the baby-boom generation starts to die and economic growth slows many more people are getting rich from family wealth. Are we returning to the age of Jane Austen? The latest EIU Democracy Index (https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2024?utm_campaign=MA00001507&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=eiu-intelligence-podcast) reveals what a bumper election year did to country rankings (9:36). And our correspondent takes an ice bath (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/01/31/are-ice-baths-good-for-you?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) (16:40).
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Eye to the chancellor: interviewing Friedrich Merz
2025-02-11
The winner of Germany’s upcoming election will also play a crucial role in Europe. The Economist’s editor-in-chief speaks to Friedrich Merz (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/10/germanys-business-model-is-gone-warns-friedrich-merz?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), the front-runner for chancellor, on the scale of the problems–and his rather cautious solutions. Taiwan faces Chinese infiltration (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/06/china-is-infiltrating-taiwans-armed-forces?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 its armed
Turkish delight: influencing the new Syria
2025-01-31
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria will reshape the wider region. Our correspondent says few countries have as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/01/21/how-turkey-plans-to-expand-its-influence-in-the-new-syria?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). How will it use its leverage (09:25)? Donald Trump’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/01/26/will-americas-crypto-frenzy-end-in-disaster?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) will
Dark side of the Yoon: South Korea’s chaos
2024-12-04
The country’s increasingly unpopular president, Yoon Suk Yeol, backed down six hours after his shocking move of imposing martial law. South Korea’s democracy has held firm (https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/12/03/martial-law-in-south-korea-and-then-not-next-constitutional-crisis?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 far. Brazil’s gangsters have found a neat way to launder assets through the legal economy: by getting involved with politics
Scandal in the wind: Adani’s indictment could hurt Modi
2024-11-25
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