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

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 5

Consultant management: McKinsey loses its shine

The world’s biggest strategy consultant has smaller rivals nipping at its heels. As it nears 100 years old, we ask how it will navigate a tricky AI-inflected future. It is already hard enough to fiddle with travel plans to get the cheapest flight. A new thing to consider? Whether ... Show More

21m 10s

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

Jul 21

Land of the rising shun? Immigration and Japan’s politics

The Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the country’s politics for seven decades, just got a pasting at the polls—again. We ask why staid politics are getting swiftly messy. Iceland is a NATO member in a volatile region; at last it must consider raising its own army. An ... Show More

22m 49s

Dec 2024

Shock and thaw: Syria’s frozen war resumes

The country’s civil war never ended—it became a fragile stalemate that fell out of the news. A surprise rebel advance reveals how the war’s international players are busy facing their own challenges. Our correspondent found it so difficult to disappear from the internet that she ... Show More

20m 21s

Feb 2025

Rebel with a new cause: meeting Syria’s president

From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief, sharing hopeful-sounding hints of his vision—but precious little detail. Japan’s economy has been hobbled by low inflation for years; ... Show More

28m 44s

Mar 2025

You spin me right round: Europe’s populists reckon with Trumpism

For Europe’s hard-right politicians, Donald Trump’s second White House bid looked like validation and opportunity. Now that he is in it, the tensions and trade-offs are becoming clear. The Houthis’ grip over Yemen and the Red Sea is only strengthening, even as other Iranian proxi ... Show More

21m 30s

Aug 2024

Enter staged right: misinformation feeds Britain’s riots

Unrest across the country has been driven in part by the provably false claims of right-wing provocateurs. We examine the real concerns underlying the violence, and how to end it swiftly. Japanese politics had until recently been anachronistically tame; not so now that the social ... Show More

22m 37s

Mar 2025

When the levy doesn’t break: a trade-war world adjusts

The Trump administration’s dedication to tariffs now seems more fervent than the first time around. Markets are noticing. We ask what might temper the trade war. Europe’s once-fringe hard-right parties are now leading polls, even if not yet leading governments; we look at where t ... Show More

21m 35s

Dec 2024

Talk to EU later: Georgia’s fiery protests

The country has been turning increasingly away from Europe and towards Russia—but a halt to EU-accession talks has sparked enormous demonstrations. Researchers know unequivocally that ultra-processed foods are bad for you; we look into the persistent question of why (10.26). And ... Show More

23m 33s

The buck stops here? The threats to doll...