Yesterday

Roaring trades: oil majors’ secret success story

Big oil firms keep one part of their business hush-hush: trading. Amid an almighty oil shock, the majors’ trading arms are raking it in. But competition is mounting. We look at the Trump administration’s messy attempts to regulate frontier AI models, and how that may cost America ... Show More

23m 5s

Jul 1

Fault lines: Venezuela’s paltry earthquake response

Government help was thin on the ground just after the country’s worst quakes in a century. The America-backed regime is thus on literal and figurative shaky ground. A food-delivery robot trial in England represents the future of the service. And why Harlan Coben’s proliferating t ... Show More

21m 31s

Jun 30

Gulf-co-operation counsel: what next for the region

With Iran emboldened and America an ever more capricious security partner, Gulf countries face several post-war challenges. They should put their divides aside to tackle them. We dig one last time into our archive to chronicle American history, bringing our series up to the prese ... Show More

24m 17s

Apr 2024

The Intelligence: AI rest my case

The companies behind this wonder of tech are facing allegations of using copyrighted material to build their large language models (LLMs). But will the courts consider it fair use? Why ex-inmates are so likely to die just after they leave prison (10:15). And, the case for booing ... Show More

20m 38s

Dec 2023

The Intelligence: I spy, with my Valley eye

The cradle of American technology was once known for its libertarian values—but as law-enforcement agencies seek more means of surveillance, Silicon Valley companies are piling in. Mounting cases in America’s courts reveal a trend of progressives arguing for their religious right ... Show More

21m 10s

Mar 2024

The Intelligence: Fed reckoning

America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to bring it to a gentle end? We look at the modern fortunes of Vodafone, a once-mighty telecoms firm that is slimming down to get health ... Show More

21m 28s

Mar 2024

The Intelligence: Bad Apple?

The case against the tech giant has been brewing since 2019 and while the smartphone maker is usually well-equipped to bat away regulators, this fight could bruise. Why Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Haiti’s most prominent warlord, could play a key role in the country’s future (09:4 ... Show More

25m 2s

Nov 2023

The Intelligence: Sam Altman and the divide in the AI world

It is still unclear why the board of OpenAI fired him last week, but hundreds of staff are revolting anyway. The debacle reveals a sizeable rift between the tech companies at the forefront of AI development. Canadians typically consider themselves pro-immigration. Is the tide cha ... Show More

26m 19s

Apr 2024

The Intelligence: Surveilling China’s diaspora

There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its diaspora who thought they were free. How monopolies are transforming America’s skiing indu ... Show More

23m 3s

Oct 2023

Windows of opportunity: Microsoft’s AI push

The once-unassailable titan of tech has missed big opportunities in recent years. But it has a reasonable shot at the title again, thanks to its artificial-intelligence ambitions. Sexual assault allegations in China made the Women’s Tennis Association take a hard line on tourname ... Show More

23m 27s

Sep 2023

Refresh your feed: introducing Economist Podcasts+

<p>For 17 years, The Economist has brought you a host of brilliant shows. Now we are taking that even further. But to bring you even more of the content that you love, we need your support. Why <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/09/04/an-armenian-enclave-inside-azerba ... Show More

26m 45s

Sep 2023

General’s knowledge: a chat with Ukraine’s spy chief

<p>Where the defensive lines really are, the state of Russia’s reserves, battlefield tactics: Kyrylo Budanov is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/09/17/an-interview-with-the-head-of-ukraines-defence-intelligence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_sourc ... Show More

23m 25s

Oct 2023

SBF, FTX, WTF? Sam Bankman-Fried goes on trial

The founder of FTX, a spectacularly failed cryptocurrency exchange, is a curious character. He denies the stack of charges he faces in a New York court, but unpicking the cryptographic paper trail will be tricky. Crime in Britain is broadly in decline, with the notable exception ... Show More

22m 43s