Economist Podcasts

We take a peek into a quirk of British politics as the country’s populist-right polling leader goes up against a man who wears a bin on his head. It is more serious than it sounds. Africans tired of shoddy internet services are turning to Starlink—for a price. And our culture editor reviews an anachronism-laden take on a classic epic.

Guests and host:

Hugo Gye, British political correspondent
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent
Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Nigel Farage, Count Binface, British politics, farce
Africa’s internet infrastructure, Starlink
“The Odyssey”, Christopher Nolan

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The sketch of a deal to end the war is all but dead; oil is up as strikes rain down. We look at the options available to America—all of them bad. India’s government websites are almost universally impossible to use; we look at the structural reasons behind the bad IT. And the growth of summer camps for adults.

Listen to our “The Weekend Intelligence” episode on kidulting.

Guests and host:
Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist
Rachel Mayman, senior audience editor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Iran war, Strait of Hormuz
India’s government, IT
summer camps, kidulting

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Myanmar’s jailed leader has not been seen since 2022. We ask if she is in fact alive, and what might happen if the military junta acceded to demands for her release. We examine Turkey’s plan to turn the war in Iran to its advantage. And delving into the research on just how much sleep is enough—and too much.

Guests and host:
Aaron Connelly, Asia diplomatic editor
Cerian Richmond-Jones, international economics correspondent
Sam Wikeley, science correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar
Turkey, economics, Iran war
sleep, science

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The longtime South Carolina senator died suddenly at the weekend. His political arc mirrored that of his Republican party in the Trump era. We ask what his death leaves behind. Frontier AI models opaquely embody a worldview and set of values; we poke the big ones, asking what they believe. And why Old Master paintings are again so popular.

Guests and host:
Adam Roberts, foreign editor
Sondre Solstad, senior data journalist
Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Lindsey Graham, Republican party, American foreign policy
AI frontier models, values
art market, Old Masters

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This week Andrey Melnichenko, Russia’s biggest industrialist, warns in The Economist that disaster is looming for his country as the war in Ukraine continues. What does it mean when members of the elite risk broadcasting their discontent? Our correspondent describes life in Kyiv as attacks intensify. And our week-long journey down Route 66 reaches the end of the road.

Watch extended clips from Insider here.
Guests and host:
Edward Carr, Economist deputy editor
Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia editor
Oliver Carroll, Ukraine correspondent
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Russia, Putin, Andrey Melnichenko
Ukraine, Kyiv, drone, interceptor
Route 66, car culture

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

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