Yesterday

Algorithm and blues: a watershed social-media verdict

A jury in California agreed with a plaintiff who argued that Meta and Google, two social-media giants, designed their platforms to be addictive. That opens the floodgates to more litigation and perhaps to regulatory change. We examine the world’s maritime chokepoints and how they ... Show More

22m 4s

Mar 25

On goal difference: are America and Israel diverging on Iran?

In the daily tea leaves one might read that President Donald Trump would prefer a deal with Iran to a continuing military campaign. Where would that leave Israel and its goals? Cryptocurrencies have gained a particular foothold in Asian economies; will they become real financial ... Show More

23m 49s

Mar 24

(Another) all-out war: Afghanistan and Pakistan

Air strikes and border raids have turned cross-border tensions into hot conflict. We ask what raised the temperature, and whether the Iran war may act to lower it. Meanwhile that war’s oil shock brings with it fears of rising inflation; we examine how recent disruptions might inf ... Show More

20m 5s

Apr 2025

Economies of sail: migrant-smuggling entrepreneurs

More than 36,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats last year. Our correspondent investigates the increasingly sophisticated business strategies of the criminals who smuggle them. As the planet heats, wildfires in East Asia are becoming fiercer and more frequent ... Show More

25m 11s

Jul 2025

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

Apr 2025

Doomed traders: Trump’s tariff fallout

Since Donald Trump announced punishing tariffs on “Liberation Day” last week, stock markets have fallen and governments and businesses scrambled to respond. Our correspondent discusses the impact on the global economy. Do personalised diets really improve gut health (9:16)? And g ... Show More

21m 20s

Nov 2025

The little green look: China’s energy revolution

America has boycotted this week’s COP climate talks, but China has sent a giant delegation. The world’s biggest polluter is increasingly pivotal to tackling global warming. Why young protesters around the world brandish a pirate flag. And since sports leagues cannot stamp out pir ... Show More

22m 27s

Oct 2025

Man of steel, and aluminium: Carney talks trade with Trump

The swiftest way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to ease pressure on Canada’s economy is to convince President Donald Trump today to pare back tariffs. But he has far broader plans afoot, too. A heady online mix of e-commerce and entertainment is creating a new generation of shopp ... Show More

21m 58s

Apr 2025

Import-extort: what to make of Donald Trump’s titanic tariffs

<p>After months of bluster, he’s finally done it. At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump overturned decades of American trade policy with a simple signature. The new wave of <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/03/trump-takes-americ ... Show More

46m 35s

Oct 2025

The great brawl: China is winning the trade war

This weekend American and Chinese officials are meeting to try and ease tensions over trade after China’s recent decision to restrict rare-earth exports. How has China gained the upper hand? Anxiety about screen time is focused on young people, but the elderly are addicted to dev ... Show More

23m 20s

Sep 2025

Honey, we shrunk the kids: population fall

Falling fertility makes a global decline in population inevitable. That will change the shape and make up of societies. But it may not make us poorer. Are large language models really woke? And reading is on the wane – and why that matters. Listen to what matters most, from globa ... Show More

23m 46s

Sep 2025

Indonesia ablaze: Riots test Prabowo

For the past week in Indonesia, protesters have taken to the streets and cities have burned. President Prabowo is still popular – now he faces a big test. Climate change threatens the collapse of an Atlantic current that helps make Europe habitable. And facekinis become a fashion ... Show More

22m 42s

Feb 2025

Love match: Modi-Trump’s tariffs tussle

The American president and Indian prime minister have long been friends. But when the two met at the White House yesterday, they had many thorny issues to discuss, including trade and immigration. Why the skies are getting smaller–and more crowded (10:40). And “Saturday Night Liv ... Show More

24m 30s

Economies of sail: migrant-smuggling ent...