Yesterday

Afghanistan, five years on: our correspondent visits

Five years after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban show little sign of moderation. Our correspondent reports from the country on what life is like for ordinary people. A giant earthquake reveals two very different Colombias. And celebrating the life of Gurkha ... Show More

26m 20s

Aug 13

Caracas under pressure: democracy in Venezuela

After American troops snatched Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a dawn raid in January, democracy did not seem like a priority. Yet this week, talks between the regime and opposition ended with small, positive steps. Why US consumers’ love of fast food may be slowing. And h ... Show More

21m 25s

Aug 12

Pump and circumstance: is China the new OPEC?

The Iran war triggered the largest supply shock in the history of petroleum, yet prices never rose as high as feared. Our correspondent explains how action taken by China steadied global oil flows. Why Brazil has such strict laws on racist language. And the legendary lager of Lao ... Show More

20m 22s

Sep 2025

Fortunes of war: is Russia’s economy slowing?

The collapse of Russia’s wartime economy has long been foretold, yet massive fiscal stimulus has compensated for the effect of sanctions. Though the pinch is now being felt, the labour market is surprisingly resilient. Protesters in China are getting more creative. And why car to ... Show More

23m 30s

Feb 2024

Money Talks: Is the West losing its sanctions war?

It's been two years since Russia brought war to Ukraine. America, Britain and the European Union may not have intervened by putting boots on the ground—but they have launched a massive financial counteroffensive. Vladimir Putin’s government, his cronies and the businesses profiti ... Show More

42m 42s

Mar 2024

The Economic War: How Hard Are Sanctions Hitting Russia?

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has been subject to thousands of sanctions from the West - but despite this, Russia’s economy is thriving. So how is the world’s most sanctioned country getting around them? And what does this tell us about how effectiv ... Show More

27m 4s

Aug 2025

Why Russia’s wartime economy is starting to crack, with Elina Ribakova

When the EU and US hit Russia with fresh sanctions in 2022, many analysts expected the country’s economy to crack. Instead, Russia has shown strong GDP growth, powered in large part by a massive boost to war-related industries. Now, the effects of that boost appear to be fading. ... Show More

28m 8s

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

Mar 2022

Russia’s war on Ukraine boosts China’s financial ambitions

<p>Oil and natural gas prices see-sawed as global stocks fell on Monday after a US push to ban Russian crude faced German resistance, the US Treasury warns banks to be on high alert for sanctions evasion, sanctions on Russia could aid Beijing’s efforts to internationalise the ren ... Show More

10m 47s

Aug 2024

Block busters: how Russia flouts sanctions

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the West has deployed massive economic restrictions on Russian trade. So why is Russia’s economy growing? A survivor’s story from the forgotten conflict in Sudan (10:47). And Turkey tries to rid its streets of stray dogs (17:56). Listen to what matt ... Show More

23m 37s

Feb 2022

Russia Meets A Strong Resistance

Russia's war against Ukraine rages on, but for now Russian troops appear to have been met with a level of resistance they were not prepared for. While the U.S. and its allies have pulled together in an attempt to cripple Russia's economy. NPR's Chief Economic Correspondent Scott ... Show More

12m 2s

Fortunes of war: is Russia’s economy slo...