The Intelligence from The Economist

<p>As Democrats convene in Chicago, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/08/15/our-forecast-puts-kamala-harris-and-donald-trump-neck-and-neck?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">polls suggest Kamala Harris</a> is ahead by a whisker in the US presidential race. Can the party sustain the momentum? In hospital, your recovery may depend not just on diagnostic technology or the drugs you take, but whether your <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/08/07/do-women-make-better-doctors-than-men?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">doctor is a woman</a> (10:11). And new research into <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/10/like-people-elephants-call-each-other-by-name?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">elephant communication</a> suggests the creatures may have something akin to names (16:34).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Inflation, interest rates and jobless numbers are on healthy trends; markets are gaining back ground. As the <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/08/07/a-global-recession-is-not-in-prospect?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectre of global recession fades</a> we ask why fear has persisted. In the second instalment of our series on <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/08/08/why-people-have-fallen-out-of-love-with-dating-apps?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dating</a> we look at what singles are doing beyond the apps (10:23). And a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/08/14/joss-naylor-never-let-any-mountain-defeat-him?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joss Naylor</a>, Britain’s legend of fell running (18:51).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Peace talks in Doha have a chance at progress even in Hamas’s absence. The outcome could determine the scope of Iran’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/08/07/israeli-aircraft-buzz-beirut-as-the-drums-of-war-bang-loud?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">promised retaliations</a> against Israel. New research suggests Mars may have an ocean’s worth of water <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/08/13/the-significance-of-liquid-water-on-mars?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deep in its crust</a> (10:30). And <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/08/08/colombia-prepares-for-a-vanilla-boom?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colombia’s bid</a> to sate the global hunger for more sources of vanilla (18:14).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Skilled immigrants bring more than just their expertise to job markets. But governments miss opportunities to attract them—or make them feel entirely unwelcome. In America it seems like the standard tip fraction just keeps going <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/06/20/is-america-approaching-peak-tip?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">up and up</a> (11:36). Where will it end? And as part of our “<a href="https://www.economist.com/schools-brief?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">schools briefs</a>” primer on AI, we answer your questions, starting with facial recognition (18:28).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/28/what-could-kill-the-1trn-artificial-intelligence-boom?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what might threaten</a> the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forced labour (10:49). And why a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/08/03/why-do-conservatives-in-america-love-zyn?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nicotine pouch</a> has so many fans on America’s right (18:03).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Part of Russia is under foreign control for the first time since the second world war. We ask about the strategy behind <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/11/ukraines-shock-raid-deep-inside-russia-rages-on?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the surprise raid</a>—which may not be the last. The Paris Olympics were, all told, a tremendous success, with <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/10/pariss-stunning-vision-for-the-olympics-wins-a-gold-medal?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">some lessons</a> for future games (11:47). And the 3-D <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/24/augmented-reality-offers-a-safer-driving-experience?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">holographic displays</a> coming to a car dashboard near you (20:35).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The rich world is experiencing <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/07/21/the-rich-world-revolts-against-sky-high-immigration?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">record migrant flows</a>—and the attendant social upheaval. Finding immigration policies that are not economically ruinous is damnably hard. Our three-part series starts to unpack why people are so <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/08/08/why-people-have-fallen-out-of-love-with-dating-apps?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fed up</a> with the big dating apps (11:10). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/29/the-paris-olympics-are-breakings-one-shot-to-become-a-global-sport?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">head-spinning history</a> of how break(danc)ing became an Olympic sport (18:44).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Tourists are getting decidedly less-warm welcomes in popular spots, but blunt anti-tourism policies are self-defeating. We look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/08/01/how-to-make-tourism-work-for-locals-and-visitors-alike?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to maintain benefits</a> for both the visitors and the visited. As Russia tries to avoid another military draft, a slick <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/10/21/where-are-russias-newest-soldiers-coming-from?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recruitment drive</a> seems to be bringing in new troops (09:22). And fatigue with smartphones is leading to a fashion for <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/08/01/dumb-phones-are-making-a-comeback?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dumb ones</a> (15:22).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Tim Walz, a folksy Midwesterner who came late to politics, is on the Democratic ticket. We ask <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how he got there</a> 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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seems inevitable</a> (11:04). And the executives who just don’t know <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/18/how-a-ceo-knows-when-to-quit?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">when to quit</a> (19:53).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Sheikh Hasina, who led the country for 20 of the past 28 years with an increasingly authoritarian grip, was <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/08/05/bangladeshs-dictator-flees-leaving-behind-a-dangerous-vacuum?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ultimately undone</a> by student protests that would not be quelled. China may be world-leading in <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/24/chinas-robotaxis-are-racing-ahead-of-teslas?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">autonomous taxis</a>—but our ride in one is not without complications (9:00). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/07/25/thomas-neffs-idea-rid-the-world-of-a-third-of-its-nuclear-warheads?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thomas Neff</a>, who rid the world of a third of its nukes (16:38).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Unrest across the country has been driven in part by the provably false claims of right-wing provocateurs. We examine the real concerns underlying the violence, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/08/04/how-to-respond-to-the-riots-on-britains-streets?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to end it swiftly</a>. Japanese politics had until recently been anachronistically tame; not so now that the social-media populists <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/07/11/social-media-populists-have-arrived-in-japan?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">have arrived</a> (10:18). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/05/power-grabbing-tips-from-house-of-the-dragon-and-shogun?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">notable parallels</a> between “House of the Dragon” and modern politics (18:00).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The biggest <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/01/the-deal-that-freed-evan-gershkovich-was-not-just-a-prisoner-swap?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exchange of prisoners</a> between Russia and the West since the Cold War included opposition leaders, journalists and prisoners of conscience. Our correspondent accompanies America’s defence secretary on a tour of Asia designed to <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/07/27/america-recreates-a-warfighting-command-in-japan?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bolster military alliances</a> (12:17). And why King Charles <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/07/25/how-king-charles-iii-counts-his-swans?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">counts his swans</a> every year (21:15). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As domestic demand in China slows, and the West puts up trade and political barriers, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/08/01/chinese-companies-are-winning-the-global-south?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chinese firms are shifting</a> their focus to poorer parts of the world. After Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure intensify, our correspondent visits <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/07/15/half-ukraines-power-is-knocked-out-winter-is-coming?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a wrecked power plant</a> (9:10). And how t<a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/06/25/the-doner-kebab-has-a-meaty-role-in-german-society?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">he doner kebab</a> became a cultural touchstone (17:00).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After the <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/07/31/israeli-strikes-in-beirut-and-tehran-could-lead-to-a-regional-war?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">killing of Hamas’s political leader</a> Ismail Haniyeh, what are the prospects for ceasefire talks in the region? In Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/07/29/nicolas-maduro-claims-implausible-victory-in-venezuelas-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">declared victory</a> in presidential elections, but the opposition says the vote was rigged and protests have erupted on the streets (9:41). And why cooking <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/07/12/why-cooking-causes-4m-premature-deaths-a-year?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may not be as healthy</a> as you think (18:03). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p>Runtime: 22 min</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The dearth of fixed-line infrastructure that allowed the continent to leapfrog into the mobile-phone age now holds it back. We ask <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/25/how-to-ensure-africa-is-not-left-behind-by-the-ai-revolution?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to ensure</a> the even spread of AI’s dividends. A<a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/25/the-seine-may-determine-athletes-success-at-the-paris-olympics?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> stinking Seine</a> has delayed the Olympic triathlon, but the river could one day help clean up Paris (7:09). And how “The Blair Witch Project” <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/23/how-the-blair-witch-project-changed-horror-films?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changed horror films</a> (14:33). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After an airstrike<a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> killed 12 children in Israel-controlled territory</a> at the weekend, retaliation in Lebanon seems inevitable. The end result could be a war on multiple fronts. British prisons are in crisis, so <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what should the new Labour government</a> do (10:07)? And for the past 50 years, the Kronos quartet in America has brought together musical traditions to <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/06/27/how-kronos-became-the-worlds-most-innovative-string-quartet?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">redefine classical music</a> (22:48).</p><br><p><em>Additional music copyright Nonesuch Records, Black Angels </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-EtRA6UbI&list=OLAK5uy_mfwoHgqbCxqJJwas4uJCqIhMwIdM2PfDs&index=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>I. Departure</em></a><em> & </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znbWJcfal5Q&list=OLAK5uy_mfwoHgqbCxqJJwas4uJCqIhMwIdM2PfDs&index=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>II. Absence</em></a><em> by George Crumb, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pot-gCpVTJU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Blood Oath</em></a><em> by Philip Glass, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1lFI5SFmSs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector</em></a><em> by Terry Riley, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vomfxcnnd5s" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Purple Haze</em></a><em> by Jimi Hendrix, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNBDsjQiPJ0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Tilliboyo</em></a><em> by Foday Musa Suso, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RSvQmzG3YI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nihavent Sirto</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNANBYTs7PI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Flugufrelsarinn</em></a><em> by Sigur Rós, </em><a href="https://50ftf.kronosquartet.org/composers/inti-figgis-vizueta" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Branching Patterns</em></a><em> by Inti Figgis-Vizueta, </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLLB0elriL0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Mishima/Closing</em></a><em> by Philip Glass</em></p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey

<p>As the Olympics begin, more people than ever will be watching via streaming services. We examine the changing viewing habits <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/07/25/a-shift-in-the-media-business-is-changing-what-it-is-to-be-a-sports-fan?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transforming</a> sport’s role in the broadcast business. The <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/07/19/russia-sentences-evan-gershkovich-to-16-years-on-bogus-spying-charges?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sentencing</a> of Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist, reveals the empty, performative nature of justice in Russia today (11:10). And the internet has dubbed Kamala Harris “<a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/25/is-kamala-harris-brat?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brat</a>”—and that is a kind of compliment (18:34).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Anyone hoping to glean hints of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plans for the Gaza war and its aftermath will have been disappointed: it was a political speech aimed at Israelis. Nigerians spend more than anyone on food, as a fraction of income. We look at the factors making the squeeze <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/07/11/soaring-food-price-inflation-is-hurting-nigerias-poor?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">even tighter</a> (11:44). And Starbucks franchises as community-level <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/07/04/how-starbucks-caffeinates-local-economies?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drivers of innovation</a> (18:28). </p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>From tunnels to tanks to drones, Gaza’s horrors provide object lessons in urban warfare. We ask what Western forces <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/07/18/to-see-the-future-of-urban-warfare-look-at-gaza?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will be learning</a> about their own future conflicts. Silicon Valley types <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/17/tech-bros-love-jd-vance-many-ceos-are-scared-stiff?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may relish</a> the prospect of J. D. Vance, a former tech investor, becoming America’s vice-president—but it should in fact worry them (10:15). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2024/07/18/a-spectre-looms-over-hong-kongs-property-market?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">superstitious forces</a> affecting Hong Kong’s property sector (18:57).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>A day is a long time in American politics: Kamala Harris has reportedly already secured the votes to become Democrats’ presidential nominee, a pile of campaign cash and the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/22/republicans-adjust-their-attacks-for-their-new-foe-kamala-harris?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trump campaign’s attention</a>. For insight into how China treats its startup scene, we count the dwindling number of <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2024/07/16/xi-jinping-is-trying-to-love-bomb-chinas-entrepreneurs?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newly born unicorns</a> (10:03). And why Britain’s twee beach huts are so <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/07/11/why-are-british-beach-huts-so-expensive?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eye-wateringly expensive</a> (15:40).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Joe Biden has at last <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/21/joe-biden-has-given-democrats-a-second-chance-to-win-the-white-house?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">succumbed to the pressure</a> to step aside and has endorsed his vice-president, Kamala Harris. We ask how things should progress from this extraordinary moment. India could be better run if power were devolved from the national government. The solution? Create lots of <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/20/india-should-liberate-its-cities-and-create-more-states?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new states</a> (10:03). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/07/17/dr-ruth-aimed-to-shake-america-out-of-its-puritan-ways?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr Ruth</a>, who taught America to talk about sex (17:34).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The scars of the covid pandemic are still raw, but now <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/17/h5n1-avian-flu-could-cause-a-human-pandemic?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a virus spreading</a> among farm animals could leap to humans. Could bird flu become the next pandemic? White women are sometimes absolved of blame in the crime of slavery in America (9:50). <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/18/new-research-exposes-the-role-of-women-in-americas-slave-trade?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Research suggests</a> they may have been culpable too. And meet the creator of <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/dateline-history-quiz-game?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dateline</a>, the Economist’s history quiz (17:25).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>J.D. Vance was largely unknown in American politics until <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/16/jd-vance-is-now-the-heir-apparent-to-the-maga-movement?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump picked him</a> as his running-mate for vice-president. Last night he gave his first speech to the Republican National Convention. Why is trade so <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/06/13/why-latin-america-is-the-worlds-trade-pipsqueak?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sluggish within Latin America</a> (11:34)? And forget management books: <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/07/11/the-ceos-alternative-summer-reading-list?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">literature offers the best lessons</a> in leadership (20:14). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">better nutrition</a> would mean for the world. Undersea cables are the arteries of our telecommunications system, but that also <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">makes them vulnerable</a> (9:13). And a new powder may help make periods <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/11/a-scientific-discovery-could-lead-to-leak-free-period-products?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less of a bloody nuisance</a> (17:42).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After decades of torpor, is Japan <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/07/01/japans-mind-bending-bento-box-economics?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recovering its dynamism</a>? Our correspondent turns to an ancient bento box merchant to test Japan’s economic future. A new study shows how <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/14/only-5-of-therapies-tested-on-animals-are-approved-for-human-use?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">few therapies tested on animals</a> end up being applied to humans (10:02). And if you don’t know a pickle fork from a fish fork, it could be time to take an <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/02/finishing-schools-for-the-age-of-tiktok?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">etiquette class</a> (16:28).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/14/donald-trump-survives-an-apparent-assassination-attempt?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shocking attempt to kill</a> former President Donald Trump, <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/14/donald-trump-survives-an-apparent-assassination-attempt?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how will America respond</a>? Though leaders have called for calm, the risk is that an already hate-filled campaign could take a <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/07/14/the-attempt-on-trumps-life-is-shocking-but-not-surprising?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">darker turn</a> (11:06). Our correspondents consider the consequences for the two candidates, the presidential race and America at large</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Artificial intelligence is already <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/06/20/how-ai-is-changing-warfare?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">making a difference</a> in the theatre of war, and more involvement will certainly come. That raises a host of thorny ethical issues. In some cases, <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/11/freeze-dried-chromosomes-can-survive-for-thousands-of-years?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scientists just clocked</a>, extinct beasts’ DNA can be extraordinarily well preserved—revealing once-inaccessible biological secrets (10:43). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/07/10/pal-enger-never-quite-knew-why-he-had-to-steal-the-scream?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pål Enger</a>, who never quite knew why he felt compelled to steal “The Scream” (19:25).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Democrats’ worried murmurs have become public statements. Polls give Donald Trump a widening lead. Why won’t President Biden <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/10/joe-biden-is-failing-to-silence-calls-that-he-step-aside?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">make way</a> for a younger successor? Off Colombia’s coast a shipwreck bursting with treasures is about to be plundered, but who owns that loot is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/06/06/a-battle-royal-over-deep-sea-archaeology-in-the-caribbean?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hotly contested</a> (10:12). And why Finnish schools are trying to <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/27/finlands-shrinking-high-schools-are-importing-pupils-from-abroad?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lure in</a> more foreign students (17:43).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Masoud Pezeshkian rode to victory on a promise of reforms that Iran’s people seem <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/07/06/a-reformer-wanting-a-nuclear-deal-with-america-wins-irans-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">desperately to want</a>. Will the former heart surgeon be permitted to carry them out? Ukraine has been getting a wartime pass on servicing its debts, but its creditors will <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/06/30/ukraine-has-a-month-to-avoid-default?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">soon come knocking</a> (10:05). And why thousands of plutocrats are <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/06/27/european-millionaires-seek-a-safe-harbour-from-populism?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">moving to Dubai</a> (17:00).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>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 <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/04/how-to-trump-proof-americas-alliances" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">faces tricky challenges</a>. Climate change is <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/06/17/climate-change-casts-a-shadow-over-britains-biggest-food-export" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jeopardising Scottish salmon</a>, one of Britain’s biggest food exports (10:15). And why North Korea is sending <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/06/26/why-north-korea-is-sending-its-rubbish-to-the-south" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hot air balloons</a> over to the South, filled with rubbish and faeces (16:50).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>A tactical ploy to diminish the chances for Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally has worked—a surprise result that puts the left in front, but <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/07/07/a-shock-election-result-in-france-puts-the-left-in-the-lead?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no party in charge</a>. Despite sporting passions in Africa, continental leagues have fizzled; a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/06/06/the-national-basketball-association-is-making-a-big-bet-on-africa?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">passion for basketball</a> may soon change that (9:25). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/07/04/angeles-florez-peon-maricuela-made-sure-spain-did-not-forget-its-history?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ángeles Flórez Peón</a>, the last militiawoman who defended Spain’s Second Republic (17:26). </p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Why are two old, unpopular men the main candidates for the world’s most demanding job?  It’s the question John Prideaux, <em>The Economist’s </em>US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers. </p><br><p>The generation born in the 1940s grew up in a land of endless growth and possibility, ruled by a confident, moderate elite. But just as they were embarking on adult life, all that started to come apart. The economy faltered, and the post-war consensus came under pressure from two sides: from the radical right, who hated government moves on civil rights  – and from the ‘New Left’, as boomers rebelled against their parents' generation and its war in Vietnam.</p><br><p>This episode is free to listen. For the full series, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a>. </p><br><p>If you’re already a subscriber to <em>The Economist</em>, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs</a> page or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account.</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Britain has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/07/05/labours-landslide-victory-will-turn-politics-on-its-head" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">elected a Labour government</a> for the first time in 14 years. The party inherits a spattered legacy and a country that is often seen as a laughing stock internationally. We consider Sir Keir Starmer’s long to-do list: growing the economy, mending Britain’s reputation…and <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/07/04/nukes-and-king-charles-but-no-door-key" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">moving house within 24 hours</a>. </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>It has changed our lives and become one of the world’s most valuable companies. As <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon turns 30</a>, what comes next? Education is key to <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social mobility in India</a>, so protests have erupted over widespread cheating in university entrance exams, presenting Modi’s new government with its first scandal (8:52). And why <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2024/06/13/china-is-going-crazy-for-durians?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">durian, a giant smelly fruit</a>, has become a geopolitical tool (15:53)</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job?<strong> </strong>The answer lies in the peculiar politics of the generation born in the era of the bomb. It’s a generation that has enjoyed extraordinary wealth and progress. Yet their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near the end of their political journey, John Prideaux, <em>The Economist</em>’s US editor, tries to make sense of their inheritance and their legacy.</p><br><p>Launching July 2024.</p><br><p>To listen to the full series, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a>.</p><br><p>If you’re already a subscriber to <em>The Economist</em>, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs</a> page or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/26/simple-steps-to-stop-people-dying-from-heatwaves" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">heatwaves become more frequent</a> and intense, they exacerbate existing inequalities. The poor, sick and elderly are particularly vulnerable. How should governments respond?  Universities depend on the high fees international students pay. Now <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2024/06/20/brainy-indians-are-piling-into-western-universities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Indian scholars are replacing</a> the diminishing flow of Chinese ones (10:00). And <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/05/23/americans-are-fretting-over-their-body-odour" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">full-body deodorant is all the rage</a>: find out if you should be using it (16:15).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/01/donald-trump-wins-a-big-victory-at-the-supreme-court" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">US Supreme Court has granted</a> the former President immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office. We ask what that means for future Presidents and the 2024 American election. Humanity is standing by while sea levels rise. Now scientists want to <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/06/zany-ideas-to-slow-polar-melting-are-gathering-momentum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">geo-engineer polar ice</a> to stem the flow (10:45). And why a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/06/20/the-cautionary-tale-of-huy-fongs-hot-sauce" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hot sauce beloved by many</a> suddenly disappeared from our shelves (19:45).  </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Marine Le Pen’s far-right party made great gains in the first round of <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/30/a-crushing-blow-for-emmanuel-macrons-centrist-alliance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">France’s parliamentary election</a>. The left did too. We ask what this means for France and President Emmanuel Macron. Thailand will soon <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/06/20/thailand-legalises-same-sex-marriage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">legalise same-sex marriage</a>, but in other areas, democratic freedoms are being threatened (10:20). And <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/14/the-secret-to-taking-better-penalties" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">penalty shoot-outs are agony</a> for players, coaches and spectators. Can technology help (16:20)? </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>On July 4th Britain will have a general election, one in which is widely expected to result in dramatic losses for the ruling Conservative party. If so, it would bring to an end 14 years of Tory rule. It’s been a turbulent period; the twin catastrophes of Brexit and Covid, set to the grinding and gloomy mood music of the 2008 financial crash. <em>The Economist’s</em> Andy Miller travels up and down the country, to the towns and cities shaped by these events, to get a sense of how Britain is feeling. </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>America’s president had one primary task at last night’s debate: to close down speculation about his mental faculties. It <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/28/joe-bidens-horrific-debate-performance-casts-his-entire-candidacy-into-doubt?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">went so poorly</a> his whole campaign is now in doubt. Tentative results from a newish instrument give <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/19/the-dominant-model-of-the-universe-is-creaking?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tantalising hints</a> that the leading theory on the universe’s makeup might need reworking entirely (10:20). And bullfighting moves from literal arenas to <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/05/29/bullfighting-is-under-attack?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the political arena</a> (18:40).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After 14 years in opposition, Britain’s Labour Party is on track for a comprehensive win in next week’s general election. We profile <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/06/25/what-the-remaking-of-labour-reveals-about-sir-keir-starmer?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keir Starmer</a>, its leader, asking whether his modus operandi can turn the country around, too. Despite the obvious distractions phones represent, Americans want their children <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/06/american-parents-want-their-children-to-have-phones-in-schools?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to have them</a> in schools (10:50). And auction houses get into the business of “<a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/05/30/young-collectors-are-fuelling-a-boom-in-basquiat-backed-loans?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">art-based lending</a>” (16:40). </p><br><p><em>Sign up for and contribute questions to our subscriber-only </em><a href="https://www.economist.com/subscriber-events/britains-election-the-next-government-and-the-future-hub?utm_medium=podcast-owned&utm_source=economist&utm_campaign=r.se.standard.core.all-eng.event-invitation.all-term.global..n108..&utm_content=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>British-election event</em></a><em> on July 5th.</em></p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Our correspondents were the first media to see the American-built JLOTS pier, intended for aid deliveries into Gaza. Things have not at all gone to plan. After years of slipping, house prices are <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/06/16/why-house-prices-are-surging-once-again?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the rise</a> again; we ask why (16:51). And a trip to see the Savannah Bananas, a goofy exhibition-baseball team that has <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/05/31/the-savannah-bananas-a-baseball-team-for-the-tiktok-age?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">serious lessons</a> for the major leagues (22:57).</p><br><p><em>Additional audio courtesy of the </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVMOQmAEqtzfBGV-_X6_zMw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Savannah Bananas</em></a><em>.</em></p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As Julian Assange is released from prison our correspondent reflects on how the work of Wikileaks changed whistleblowing in the internet era, for good and for ill. Meanwhile Peter Navarro, Donald Trump’s trade hawk, remains behind bars—but is plotting for a second Trump term (09:25). And the social-media trend changing tinned fish from frumpy to foodie fare (18:33).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After decades as a scientific also-ran, China is <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/13/how-worrying-is-the-rapid-rise-of-chinese-science?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">becoming a superpower</a> particularly in the physical sciences. We examine the risks and opportunities that poses for the West. Our correspondent looks into why denizens of the Mediterranean <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/20/why-southern-europeans-will-soon-be-the-longest-lived-people-in-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">live so long</a> (10.32). And this year’s confluence of two broods makes for a rare <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/28/hordes-of-cicadas-are-emerging-simultaneously-in-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">preponderance of cicadas</a> (17.53).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Since his election last year, President Javier Milei has enjoyed some economic and political wins in Argentina. But <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/19/javier-mileis-next-move-could-make-his-presidency-or-break-it" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his toughest fight</a> is yet to come. On Britain’s general election trail, our correspondent found voters less keen on the prospect of a Labour victory than on <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/06/18/britains-conservatives-rule-the-thames-estuary-not-for-long" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">punishing the Conservative party</a> at the polls (10:00). And <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/06/20/birubala-rabha-fought-to-end-the-stigmatisation-of-women" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remembering Birubala Rabha</a>, who campaigned against witch-hunting in India (18.35).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>No energy source has ever increased as fast as solar photovoltaics. The technology will transform humanity’s energy consumption–even when the sun doesn’t shine. Many people associate champagne with success but wine collectors often shun it. Now global sales are fizzing (10:51). And many <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/06/06/is-it-better-to-be-an-early-bird-or-a-night-owl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">chief executives are early birds</a>, not night owls. Does it really pay to be up with the larks (18:32)?</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Both the left and right are likely to do well in France’s upcoming parliamentary poll, with President Emmanuel Macron’s party squeezed in the middle. The snap election could leave <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/16/france-is-being-thrown-into-uncharted-territory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the country in chaos</a>. In America, recreational use of weed is now commonplace, but what impact does it have on <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/06/06/is-americas-weed-habit-dangerous" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">users’ wellbeing</a> (10:06)? And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-reads/2024/05/31/six-non-fiction-books-you-can-read-in-a-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">joy of short books</a>: the intense pleasure of a quickie (17:40).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The post-war generation reaped the benefits of peace and prosperity. Yet rather than spend that bounty, retired boomers are <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/05/26/baby-boomers-are-loaded-why-are-they-so-stingy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hoarding their riches</a>–and upending economists’ expectations. The science of menstruation is baffling, partly because most animals don’t do it. Now <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/29/progress-on-the-science-of-menstruation-at-last" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clever innovations</a> may help improve women’s health (9:13). And how old-fashioned wind-power is <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/21/a-new-age-of-sail-begins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">blowing new life</a> into the shipping industry–and cutting its emissions (16:13).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Much of Sudan has <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/05/24/sudan-the-war-the-world-forgot" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">already collapsed into chaos</a>. Now a crucial city may fall, the United Nations is belatedly scrambling to avert a bloodbath. <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/05/25/footballer-broadcaster-podcast-mogul-the-career-of-gary-lineker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gary Lineker</a> is a former footballer, broadcaster and podcast mogul. He also embodies Britain’s social aspirations (10:52). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/05/21/the-controversial-cult-of-the-host-club-in-japan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">women in Japan</a> who pay men to praise them (18:49). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Britain’s pint-sipping rabble-rouser of the right has <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/06/06/the-return-of-the-farage-ratchet?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">joined the campaigning</a> ahead of a general election. Win or lose, he will make an impact. America’s stadiums and arenas are often built using taxpayer dollars; they are also often <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/03/a-new-wave-of-stadium-building-is-busting-budgets-in-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">terrible value for money</a> (10:08). And a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/06/12/william-anders-took-the-photo-that-kicked-off-the-environmental-movement?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">William Anders</a>, an astronaut who snapped one of history’s most famed photographs (17:15).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>