Laughing all the way: banks’ pandemic windfall

The editor of our annual “World Ahead” publication predicts the themes and events that will dominate the headlines in 2026, from geopolitics to tech. He also admits what we got wrong last year. And Th...

1 Jan 19min

Today’s show is a tribute to those whose lives we remembered this year. From Pope Francis, the most open-minded pontiff for decades, and controversial vice-president Dick Cheney, to champ of the chimp...

31 Dec 202522min

Announcing the return of The Economist’s annual ranking for best performing economy. Are you ready for the big reveal? Dalit cuisine is barely visible, in India or beyond. And why London’s river boats...

30 Dec 202521min

Five years after seizing power in a coup, the military junta in Myanmar is holding an election. Yet all credible opposition has been banned. And war has inspired so many films over the past century. O...

29 Dec 202521min

So many books are published each year; few stand the test of time. Today we devote our whole show to asking which works have shaped the way we behave and how we think. Picks include “Frankenstein” by ...

26 Dec 202540min

Join our editors and correspondents in a gripping test of recall and reflexes. There are questions on business and politics of course—but also news noises to identify, one saucy limerick and quotes fr...

24 Dec 202528min

Recessions are, in their way, bad news. But so, paradoxically, is a lasting dearth of them. We explain the dangers that lie beneath the current run of continuous growth. Our correspondent looks into t...

23 Dec 202521min

In a world of infinite content, who wins and who loses? Our correspondent explains what the proliferation of AI-generated art means for human artists. What the prevalence of male-female friendships te...

22 Dec 202520min