Mohamed Guhaad's podcast

India is not the first country to leapfrog from poverty-induced undernourishment to also having an obesity crisis—but a number of factors make that a far chunkier problem than it is elsewhere. A shock local-election result in Turkey suggests the country’s strongman leader may not be so strong (9:48). And China’s solar-panel bonanza upsets the lucrative market for ultra-pure sand (17:43). Listen to...

As yet more aid workers die in Gaza and an airstrike levels an Iranian consulate, pressure on Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mounts. But all that chaos is paradoxically protective . We take an economist’s view on the “superfakes” that are chipping away at the luxury-handbag industry (10:18). And French winemakers face the twin challenges of brewers and abstemious youth (18:37). Listen...

There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its diaspora who thought they were free. How monopolies are transforming America’s skiing industry (08:59). And just how much stuff are museums sitting on (15:37)? Listen to what matters most, from global politics...

Alexei Navalny was sent to one to die and American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held in another. Our correspondent reports on the notorious brutality of Russia’s prisons . Without the right policies, undoing years of dependency on oil will take much longer than hoped (11:03). And a tribute to the Israeli luthier who restored violins from the Holocaust (18:53).  Listen to what matters most,...

It has been called one of the biggest financial frauds in American history . After the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, its founder is facing a maximum jail sentence of 110 years. Why the race to build new cities is difficult, but potentially worthwhile (10:01). And how M&S knickers can help solve murders (16:15). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to scienc...

It is becoming harder to get supplies into the enclave, which is facing a growing risk of famine . As fewer trucks are making it in, more aid is being dropped by plane. Our producer takes us on a flight. Why high risk does not always lead to high reward (09:40). And the ripple effect of rising cocoa prices for chocoholics (14:43). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to s...

On March 13th America’s House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese owner, Bytedance, agrees to sell its stake.  Alice Su, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, and David Rennie, our Beijing bureau chief, look at China’s side of the story. Joined by Don Weinland, our China business and finance editor, they ask: does Chinese ownership of TikTok r...

Bassirou Diomaye Faye was little-known before this election. Despite the incumbent president’s attempts to thwart the process, the anti-establishment politician has soared to victory. Why preparing Turkey for future earthquakes has dominated mayoral campaigns in Istanbul (08:37). And the gene mutation making dogs more prone to obesity (16:25)? Listen to what matters most, from global politics and...

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, as the death toll climbs in Israel’s war on Gaza, we argue that the country looks deeply vulnerable . Plus, we consider Britain as an unexpected beacon of immigration . And finally, as Elon Musk’s Starship reaches space , we examine SpaceX’s approach to rocket development. Listen to what matters m...

Warnings from the Americans went unheeded, police took too long to respond, and now the Kremlin has found a way to link it to Ukraine. Could this tragedy be used to Vladamir Putin’s advantage ? A hotline for Japanese men to discuss their anxieties is an unfortunate indicator of a wider social problem (09:48). And why America’s love for big trucks is hitting a dead end (17:15). For full access to p...

By the end of this podcast Economist correspondent Tamara Gilkes Borr might own a gun. Recently, Tamara fired a gun for the first time and was shocked by how it made her feel. That moment started her on a personal odyssey to meet other Black gun owners and find out why, in contemporary America, she might want - or need - a gun.  Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to sci...

The case against the tech giant has been brewing since 2019 and while the smartphone maker is usually well-equipped to bat away regulators, this fight could bruise. Why Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Haiti’s most prominent warlord, could play a key role in the country’s future (09:48). And, the Dutch-American primatologist who showed animals to have kinder instincts (16:40). Please take a moment to r...

Amazon started with a plan to disrupt bookselling. It sold cheap books online, delivering them straight to customers’ homes. Three decades later it employs a million people in America and owns one hundred warehouses, each stocked with millions of products. More than a third of the US e-commerce market flows through it. Now, another company has spied an opportunity to disrupt Amazon: Temu. The Chin...

America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to bring it to a gentle end ? We look at the modern fortunes of Vodafone, a once-mighty telecoms firm that is slimming down to get healthier (11:21). And why Britain’s system for protecting its historic buildings from change… needs to change (16:10). Pleas...

It took more than 20 years for Hong Kong’s legislature to pass Article 23, a sweeping and troublingly ambiguous national-security law . Huge protests stymied such legislation in the past; not so anymore. National Guard troops are out in force on New York City’s subways—because they are cheaper than cops (10:11). And a personal story exploring the torment of tinnitus (15:31). Please take a moment t...

The Bank of Japan has ended its grand experiment in unconventional monetary policy—how did it work, and what happens now that it has concluded? Ahead of Florida’s presidential primary our correspondent pays a visit, examining the state’s hard swing to the right (10:17). And the next in our Economist Reads series: why God seems to care so much about sex (19:09). Please take a moment to respond to o...

America is producing more high-school graduates—but on average, they know less. We ask how a push for equity can in reality seed a systemic failing . London’s Canary Wharf was built as a high-rise jungle for white-collar workers; how is it surviving in a work-from-home world (7:57)? And amid a general decline in cinemagoing, the high end of the market is thriving (14:02). Please take a moment to r...

It’s not long since America was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and continues to defy expectations . But why aren’t voters happier with Joe Biden’s economy?  John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch and Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.  T...

Voting begins today in an election that has already been won – all the opposition politicians are dead, in prison or in exile. Vladimir Putin wants to give the illusion of legitimacy. Will the rumblings of a protest deprive him of that goal? There is evidence that Sudan is becoming the latest theatre of the Ukraine war (09:25). And, a tribute to the father of Dragon Ball Z (15:49). Navalny audio c...

The US Congress is refusing to scroll past the app’s links to China. If the bill they passed becomes law, the video-sharing network will be forced to find new owners. Binyamin Netanyahu’s emergency war-time budget has just been approved. What is the cost of Israel’s ongoing war (10:40)? And, snapping up Old Masters in Maastricht (18:14). Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist P...

The northeastern province has been subject to more and more shelling, and Western officials are worried about Ukraine’s capacity to respond. Could there be a breakthrough? Not everyone is happy with the 28-year-old building America’s first nickel-cobalt refinery (08:51). And, some of the best comic novels (16:46). Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+   Sign up for a...

Melting ski slopes, floods and droughts are enraging the continent’s citizens, but not quite enough for them to consider voting differently . Our correspondent explains what the electorate is weighing up. The world’s largest maker of glasses is branching out into tech (10:41). And Gabriel García Márquez ’s new novella that he did not want published (16:32). Get a world of insights for 50% off—subs...

As the hermit kingdom is getting ever cosier with Russia, it is becoming bolder in its provocations of conflict with the south. Growing risks of escalation threaten not just the region, but the world. The victims of the war in Ukraine are not just its people, but its animals too (09:48). And why the world is getting bigger (15:57).   Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podca...

When Magali and Hugo Urbina bought a pecan orchard outside Eagle Pass, Texas, they were dreaming of their retirement. But instead of idyllic afternoons spent by the Rio Grande, the river separating their home from the Mexico border, their lives are now dictated by a deepening immigration crisis taking place in their backyard. The Economist’s Rebecca Jackson shares their story, and tells of the vie...

Despite growing pressure from powerful local gangs, Ariel Henry, the prime minister, is refusing to step down. The state has descended into such a quagmire that he cannot even return. Can it be brought back from the brink? This year’s Oscar nominations show a newfound appreciation for foreign-language films (07:44). And, a tribute to Iris Apfel (13:52)  Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscrib...