Back to front: visiting Ukraine’s firing line
As diplomatic efforts played out in Saudi Arabia our correspondent recounts travels along the nearly unbroken front line of the war—finding frustrated but determined soldiers and exhausted, fearful ci...
7 Aug 202322min
Too big tech: is Alphabet approaching a growth ceiling?
As the tech giant approaches its 25-year anniversary, there are questions of just how much more it can possibly grow. Investors are used to stratospheric returns. Is it time to manage expectations? Ne...
4 Aug 202326min
Industrial waste: the world’s misguided manufacturing policies
The industrial arms race is on. For many political reasons, countries with the means are throwing billions of dollars into local industries. But when will leaders realise that it might harm their econ...
3 Aug 202325min
Big-claims court: Donald Trump’s latest indictment
The former American president is facing a new set of unprecedented legal challenges linked to his claims that he won the 2020 election. These charges are perhaps the most serious ones yet, but how wil...
2 Aug 202324min
Strong arms: North Korea’s pandemic era weapons program
The country is not new to seclusion, but under the aegis of the pandemic, Kim Jong Un tightened borders even more. His regime has enjoyed the extra control, but are things finally opening up? The worl...
1 Aug 202322min
Putsched out: Niger’s coup d’état
Following years of military takeovers in the region, Niger is the West’s last solid ally in the Sahel. But with this coup, and growing alignment with Russia, these relations are in jeopardy. Why is a ...
31 Jul 202323min
Trading criminality for autocracy: El Salvador
A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a brutal roundup of young men by a wildly popular, social-media-savvy president. The streets ...
28 Jul 202325min
With a grain assault: a deal abandoned
Russia’s axeing of the Black Sea grain deal reveals a war machine running out of options. We explore how to get the deal back on track. A month-long mystery surrounding China’s absent foreign minister...
27 Jul 202324min
