The Economist Radio (All audio)

He shunned fancy vestments and paid surprise visits to prisons and hospitals: our obituaries editor reflects on the life of a reform-minded pontiff who preferred to be among his flock. High-protein snacks are on an absolute tear, and one explanation is linked to new weight-loss drugs (7:49). And the thorny business of nudging an employee towards resigning (14:31).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a Nobel-winning idea with untold promise in health care, agriculture and more. We examine what must change in order to capture those benefits. Asia’s love affair with gold has long been chalked up to cultural motives; our correspondent finds far more going on (10.45). And for all the draw of New Zealand’s verdant chill, lots of natives want out (17:58). Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Xi Jinping’s style of negotiating is staid, distanced, a quiet projection of power. President Donald Trump’s is not. That dynamic is complicating their gargantuan standoff. Spain ends up with more and more remains of migrants who die on their journeys—and its morgues cannot keep up (10:29). And in an age of video games pinball is not only surviving, it’s flipping thriving (18:11).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the 23rd time the International Monetary Fund will cough up, this time to the tune of $20bn. But the reforms stipulated by the loan, alongside promising changes already under way, suggest this time might be different. Near America’s border with Mexico, high-speed chases have become more common—and more deadly (9:08). And myriad uncertainties are making Europe a continent of preppers (15:08).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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). And Hong Kong’s notoriously gruff cab drivers are told to smile more…or else (18:26).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump called the weekend strike on Sumy a “mistake”; other leaders called it a war crime. We examine the prospects for peace when Russia is brazenly hitting civilian targets. As scientists flee American institutions, Europe is trying to woo them (10:29). And Britain’s historical consumer-price index as a fascinating window into how shoppers’ tastes have shifted (17:24).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump is now aiming his trade war squarely at China. As the tit-for-tat tariff battle keeps escalating, investors are fleeing to safe assets. What will happen next? Germany’s Friedrich Merz finally signs a deal for a coalition government (10:12). And remembering Betty Webb, who worked at Britain’s wartime codebreaking centre Bletchley Park (19:36). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just 12 hours after Donald Trump launched his searing regime of tariffs, he paused many of them for 90 days. What's next for global trade? An outlandish proposal to build data centres in space (8:14). And why “The Great Gatsby” is just as relevant, 100 years on (15:58).Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs take effect, our correspondent explains how one of America’s most profitable companies may navigate the trade war. Are class divides in Britain softening (9:28)? And Republican influencers define what it is to be a conservative woman (16:08).Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 (10:36). And why ordinary Americans are falling out of love with their former international allies (18:31).Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 gasp at the science of how seals spend so long underwater without breathing (16:13). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Korea has been paralysed since its president declared martial law in December. Even after his impeachment, politicians face a divided polity and battered economy. Why governments should pay attention to the “Henry” – High Earner, Not Rich Yet (9:49). And what tiffs over tofu teach us (15:38).Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 trade restrictions, if implemented in full, will raise tariffs to the highest level in more than a century. So how bad could it get?Hosts: Mike Bird and Ethan Wu. Guests: The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch; and Douglas Irwin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even in the run-up to Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff hikes, few had expected such colossal levies. Our correspondent explains how they will shake America’s economy and global trade. After Sudanese government forces retake Khartoum, will this alter the course of the civil war (10:32)? And Shonda Rhimes is shaping watching habits (18:12).Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Months ago, holding an election in wartorn Ukraine seemed impossible. Now plans are being made. Our correspondent explains the prospects for the campaign – and the chance of a ceasefire, which must precede it. How did “The Economist” cover American tariff hikes in the 1930s (8:29)? And why daylight savings time may not be so brilliant for your health (16:14). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marine Le Pen is one of France’s most popular politicians, who has brought the National Rally party to the heart of the political landscape. Our correspondent explains the implications of a court ruling that stops her running for president in 2027. Why rents keep rising in the rich world (8:29). And remembering Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian spy turned British agent (13:03). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civil war in Myanmar is hampering relief efforts after the devastating earthquake on Friday, as the ruling military regime intensifies attacks on resistance fighters. The impact of Donald Trump’s attempt to silence “Voice of America” and other federally-funded broadcasters (8:45). And, “The Economist” reveals the best places to be a working woman in 2025 in its annual glass-ceiling index (17:37). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No surprises here: The Economist reckons tariffs are a terrible trade tool. But what is most clearly harming American businesses and scaring off investors is persistent uncertainty about them. Our correspondent sees the effects of one non-military donor to Ukraine: help not to fight but to preserve something worth fighting for (10:57). And why “Adolescence” tops Netflix’s viewing numbers the world over (19:54).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 proxies are waning (10:03). And a look at the boom in Christian entertainment (15:51).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Conservative Party, led by a Trump-tinged populist, once had the polls locked up. That is changing radically now that Donald Trump is seen as a threat to the nation. Amid America’s foreign-policy misfires, China might choose to smooth diplomatic feathers and make friends; instead it, too, is muscle-flexing (8:14). And an unsettling new book typifies a rise in dystopian fiction (13:45).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.