Tag Archives: The Economist Podcasts

Stories: Fighting Returns To Ethiopia, China’s ‘Belt And Road’ Loans Sour

After a five-month hiatus, violence has returned to the northern region of Tigray—but that is just one of the conflicts threatening to pull the country to pieces.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made it a prominent developing-world lender. How will it deal with so many of its loans souring? And our obituaries editor reflects on Issey Miyake’s fashion-for-the-masses philosophy.

Stories: World Real Estate Markets Wobble, Cities As War Zones, What ‘Data’ Is

As interest rates rise, lots of pandemic-era property trends are fading—but not every market is equally vulnerable as the boom peters out.

Generals have long avoided fighting in cities: it is messy and dangerous. Increasingly, though, they have no choice. And our language columnist on the subtle question of whether “data” is plural or singular.

Opinion: Sanctions On Russia, Debt Forgiveness, Work Commute Waste

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, are sanctions on Russia working? Plus, Joe Biden’s sweeping debt-forgiveness plan (10:00) and in defence of commuting (15:10).

News Stories: Drought And Famine In Somalia, Hollywood Fights Back

Our correspondent reports from Somalia, which stands on the brink of famine thanks to a drought, soaring food costs and infrastructure destroyed by decades of fighting.

Old Hollywood studios are waging an epic battle against their upstart streaming rivals. And why London’s cemeteries are selling used graves.

Headlines: Trump’s Legal Woes, The Future Of Apple iPhone, French Mustard

Donald Trump endured an FBI raid, questioning in a civil lawsuit and an adverse court ruling, all in 48 hours.

But at least in the short-term, he’s making political hay from his legal woes. Why Apple’s future increasingly rests on services rather than just hardware. And how France is coping with a mustard shortage.

Stories: Hamas Sits Out Israel-Palestine Strikes, Gen Z Roils Workforce

A ceasefire is holding after a weekend of deadly strikes. We ask why Hamas, the Palestinian movement that controls Gaza, did not get involved.

As Generation Z tentatively enters the workforce, they are clamouring for more flexibility and money than their forebears enjoyed. And reflecting on the flawed but brilliant poet Philip Larkin on the centenary of his birth. 

Opinion: The Despot In The Desert, Big-Tech Decline, Imperfect Is OK At Work

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, MBS: despot in the desert, the era of big-tech exceptionalism may be over (49:05), and why it’s OK not to be perfect at work (55:30). 

Morning News: Al Qaeda Chief Al-Zawahiri Killed, Kansas Abortion Vote

For decades Ayman al-Zawahiri was the chief ideologue of the terrorist group. We ask what his death in Afghanistan means for the broader jihadist movement.

A vote on abortion in Kansas today is a sharp test of the electorate following the gutting of Roe v Wade. And remembering Diane Kennedy, an indefatigable food writer and champion of Mexican cuisine.

Opinion: Ukrainians Who Fled To Russia, Notions Of The Sun, Economic Magic

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, what happened to the Ukrainians who fled to Russia, how the sun is both our creator and destroyer (27:56), and how magicians won the attention economy (34:32).

Morning News: Fed Lifts Rates By .75%, Alzheimer’s Research Was Fabricated

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point yesterday–its fourth hike this year, as inflation remains stubbornly high.

Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, also warned that the path to cooling the economy without tipping into recession has “narrowed”. The results of an experiment fundamental to the last decade of Alzheimer’s research may have been fabricated. And the region where the gender divide in obesity rates is the highest.