Economist Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

Remote control: Rwandan proxies occupy Congo Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Rebels linked to Rwanda have occupied the city of Goma in eastern Congo. Our correspondent reports on the horrific scenes there, and warns that Rwanda’s belligerence may be part of a bigger plan to redraw the map of Africa. How microplastics may be affecting our health (10:43). And why Gen Z loves astrology apps (16:33).

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: Scam Inc Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful.

The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong follows a trail that starts with the collapse of a bank in rural Kansas to uncover a global, underground scam economy built around human trafficking, corruption and money laundering. Can it be stopped?

Available now.

To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bot against America: a Chinese AI jolts markets Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Silicon Valley firms have poured billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. But a new cheap AI model from DeepSeek, a Chinese start-up, has sent shockwaves through the stockmarket. Our correspondent explains why investors are rattled. Canada’s remote indigenous communities are struggling to install solar power (9:37). And why you should lift weights (18:25).

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: Scam Inc Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful.

Available now.

To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaza, stripped: Palestinians return to ruins Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

Though thousands of Palestinians are going back to northern Gaza, rebuilding their lives and homes will take years. Just a week into the ceasefire, our correspondent says peace already looks fragile. Why Russian drones are being targeted at civilians in Kherson (9:44). And would game theory help you win “The Traitors” (15:28)?

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: Scam Inc Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful.

To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In with a chancellor: dissecting Britain’s growth plan Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

Rachel Reeves has had a rocky start as chancellor of the exchequer. Our editor-in-chief meets her at Davos to dissect her plans for growth. Australia Day is coming up, but do not expect universal merriment: its date has become mired in a culture war (10:31). And our “Archive 1945” project revisits the second world war through The Economist’s contemporaneous coverage (17:11).

Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right turn at a broken traffic light: Germany’s AfD Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

After the collapse of the governing “traffic light” coalition in December, the hard-right AfD has a renewed swagger. How long can other parties keep it from power? We speak with Syrian refugees heading home at last, following the defenestration of Bashar al-Assad (10:30). And remembering David Lynch, a bright-eyed director of unsettlingly dark films and television (19:34).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine how this extortion affects world trade. China is fast closing its gap with America on AI innovation, and doing so far more cheaply (7:22). And a trip to a Ghanaian rum distillery reveals a regional trend (15:44).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Executive orders of magnitude: Trump’s day one Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump is back in office, this time with less pearl-clutching in Washington. We examine his inaugural address and his first executive orders as glimpses into what his second term holds—for America and the world (12:23). And why millennials and Gen Z are so besotted with expensive stuffed animals (18:37).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected