Today

An explosion still echoing: Chernobyl at 40

We go deep inside the Chernobyl nuclear-power plant and the surrounding exclusion zone, recounting the history of the accident on April 26 1986, and speaking with plant workers who were on shift that day. A pre-eminent Chernobyl historian discusses the lessons learned and yet to ... Show More

31m 37s

Yesterday

Bringing the House down: our American midterms model

We examine what our forecast model predicts so far—and consider what might change its confident prediction for one house of Congress and toss-up call for the other. Our correspondent sits down with Steve Reich, a pioneering classical composer who is nearing his 90th birthday. And ... Show More

26m 3s

Apr 22

White hat, black box: AI’s next chapter

The decision of Anthropic, an AI giant, to keep its Mythos model sequestered surely makes for good press. But there seems to be more to it than that—and it might change the whole industry’s approach. Indian politicians are chasing female voters more than ever; we question the mea ... Show More

22m 49s

Jul 2024

Starming victory: Labour sweeps to power

Britain has elected a Labour government 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…an ... Show More

29m 36s

Jun 2024

The Weekend Intelligence: The state of Britain

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 ... Show More

50m 33s

Jun 2024

Labour's pains: Britain’s growth problem

As Britain’s general-election campaign heats up, party leaders are vague on their economic plans. With growth so slow, how could the victor energise the economy? We visit the D-day beaches 80 years on, as war rages in Europe once again (10:19). And Venice’s new daytripper fee is ... Show More

25m 15s

Jun 2024

Fight for his party to the right: Nigel Farage

Britain’s pint-sipping rabble-rouser of the right has joined the campaigning 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 terrible value for money (10:08). And a tribute ... Show More

24m 32s

Jan 2024

The Intelligence: Workers of the world, delight!

Labour markets are changing in all kinds of ways, thanks to ageing societies, hot-running economies and technological boosts. It all adds up to a golden age for workers. As part of our series on democracy around the world, we examine the coming election in Britain (09:35). And In ... Show More

23m 30s

Oct 2023

So the Tory goes: Britain’s Conservatives meet

Divisions within the ruling party are on full display this week, and the provocative policies Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced are unlikely to help the Conservatives’ woeful polling numbers. Early results suggest that new drugs initially prescribed for weight loss may be a po ... Show More

24m 57s

Apr 2024

The Intelligence: Bear up

In Russia inflation is under control, wages are on the up and supposedly tough sanctions have been successfully skirted. Why is the pariah economy proving so resilient? Despite the nasty rhetoric of many of its politicians, Britain has turned out to be quite good at assimilating ... Show More

25m 6s

Sep 2023

Going bump in the right: Europe’s worrisome politics

<p>Populist, right-wing parties are already in power in Hungary, Poland and Italy—and getting closer to it <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/09/14/the-hard-right-is-getting-closer-to-power-all-over-europe?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=the ... Show More

21m 49s

Feb 2024

The Intelligence: A former general, elected in Indonesia

Prabowo Subianto stormed to victory in the world’s largest single-day election. But critics say his presidency could jeopardise two decades of democratic progress. Nvidia has dominated the global market for AI accelerator chips for years. Could a company about a third of its size ... Show More

26m 45s

Jan 2024

The Intelligence: China’s ever grander property crisis

One of the country’s biggest property companies, Evergrande, has been crippled by its debt. What does a new court order mean for prospective homebuyers, and the firm’s creditors? Is there a way for Joe Biden to be replaced by the Democrats’ presidential candidate (09:45)? And the ... Show More

22m 55s