Christian Democratic disunion: Germany’s political upheaval
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hand-picked successor is out of the running. The ruling CDU party must now pick a new leader and a path in dealing with the rising far right. Legislation in the works in America shows how gender dysphoria among children has become a battlefront in the culture wars. And, a musical analysis of the winter blues. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11 Feb 202022min
Trust the process? China’s coronavirus response
The Communist Party is exuding an aura of complete control over the outbreak, but our correspondent finds an undercurrent of distrust. International health experts are racing to understand just how deadly the virus is, and whether it can ultimately be contained. And the rise of ratings—it seems employees in many industries will eventually be angling for a five-star review. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 Feb 202021min
From out of left field: Ireland’s election
After the adulation, the discontent. Voters are abandoning the party of the young, progressive leader Leo Varadkar, with many supporting Sinn Fein, a party with a violent history. Our obituaries editor looks back on the life of Homero Gómez, a renowned logger-turned-butterfly-activist. And the coyotes invading America’s cities. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
7 Feb 202023min
Imperfect call: Trump’s exoneration
A predictable outcome in President Donald Trump’s Senate trial will have unpredictable effects on executive power and congressional oversight—but probably not on November’s elections. A staggering map of neural connections opens a new frontier in brain science. And the entirely preventable plague of locusts munching through east Africa. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 Feb 202022min
Address change: the State of the Union
President Donald Trump seemed to be going out of his way to rankle Democrats while he pitched his tenure as a change from American decline to American rejuvenation. In the developing world mobile phones have given millions access to financial services—as well as exposing them to exploitation. And what fashion houses do with their piles of unsold, high-end stock. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 Feb 202022min
An app-polling delay: Iowa’s caucus chaos
Technical glitches and “inconsistencies” threw America’s first Democratic caucuses into disarray. That will have political consequences, irrespective of the eventual winner. So-called bio-bots—tiny machines made from the stem cells of a frog—blur the line between the biological and the mechanical. And the children competing in Thailand’s elbows-and-all Muay Thai boxing. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
4 Feb 202021min
Economic contagion: Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s GDP report released today reflects the squeeze that enormous protests at home and economic headwinds on the mainland have put on the territory—and that was before the coronavirus outbreak. Inequality in Brazil is bad and getting worse; we ask why the government is chipping away at a much-praised social safety-net. And a look at the self-help craze gripping Ethiopia. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
3 Feb 202021min
When one door closes: Brexit day
The costs of leaving the European Union are likely to outweigh the benefits. But as Britain re-aligns itself in the world, those benefits should be seized. The outcome of America’s impeachment proceedings is all but assured, and that is an insight into the Senate, the presidency and impeachment itself. And why pregnancy was absent for so long in British art. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 Jan 202023min
