Aug 22

Rule and divide: opposition grows in Syria

Less than nine months after Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the honeymoon is over. How is the new regime responding to rising dissent? Introducing Britain’s revolutionary retirees: why pensioners increasingly dominate political protest. And celebrating the life of o ... Show More

23m 38s

Aug 21

Stake and chips: will America take 10% of Intel?

Intel was once synonymous with chip-making, but in recent years it has fallen behind. Now the Trump administration may become its biggest shareholder. A political assassination in Colombia raises fears about a return to violence. And what an annual snail race tells us about rural ... Show More

21m 2s

Aug 20

Trouble in paradise: US plans for Pacific war

With China as its new rival, America is reviving old wartime facilities across the Pacific. Our correspondent visits an abandoned airfield that has been given new life. The outlook for climate technology is surprisingly bright. And why the universe of Hello Kitty keeps expanding. ... Show More

22m 34s

Jan 2025

A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves

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 ... Show More

22m 50s

May 23

Get rich, quick: Vietnam’s next revolution

The country’s leader is in a mad rush to transform his country into an upper-middle-income powerhouse before geopolitical forces stall its rise. America’s army is being thinned out; we examine the risks of putting both weapons and generals on the chopping block (10:12). And remem ... Show More

24m 59s

Apr 2025

The buck stops here? The threats to dollar primacy

Falling trust in the greenback is most apparent in bond-market moves. How close is the dollar to losing its status as the world’s go-to currency, and what could take its place? We take a look at Jordan Bardella, the young, polished, ever-rising star of France’s far right (11:56). ... Show More

23m 57s

Aug 6

Unsteady state: Somalia in disarray

The country had been on the rise: beating back jihadists, strengthening its federal structure and gaining international stature. That has all reversed. In Britain levels of crime have fallen—but the changing nature of criminality has meant a smaller fraction of crooks getting cau ... Show More

24m 2s

Jul 18

The ships are down: Houthis resume strikes

Once again, commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea are being attacked. Our correspondent explains why Houthi rebels, an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, have regrouped. The islands of Tuvalu are sinking. Now Australia is offering residents the world’s first “climate visas”. An ... Show More

26m 15s

Feb 2025

Thy neighbours, beggared: Trump’s opening tariffs

President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threats, starting with Canada, Mexico and China. We look at the first skirmishes in what promises to be a painful trade war (10:30). A Concorde-style supersonic passenger jet could soon be flying again, if one company gets its ... Show More

21m 55s

Aug 15

A farewell to arms? Hamas considers its options

Opinions of Hamas are shifting—among its international backers, in Gaza, even within its affiliates’ ranks. If it opts to disarm, what would happen next? A new analysis suggests using a sense of risk to explain markets’ movements might be focusing on the wrong emotion. And our fi ... Show More

24m 28s

Jul 22

Hawks v talks: barriers to peace in Gaza

Even as Western countries band together to condemn Israel’s actions, aid remains at a trickle and the war is expanding into a central-Gazan city. We ask how the horrors might end. As with many technologies before it, many worry artificial intelligence will ultimately dumb down it ... Show More

24m 44s

Aug 2024

AIOU: what if the AI boom busts?

Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask what might threaten the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forc ... Show More

24m 2s

Jan 2025

Against the clock: Gaza peace talks

Israel continued to pound Gaza, even as ceasefire negotiations began in Qatar. The familiar dynamic will soon be interrupted by a new American administration. Our analysis shows that Nordic firms have markedly better fundamentals than the European average; we examine what’s behin ... Show More

25m 16s

A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund t...