Bear hug? China’s take on Ukraine

Donald Trump claims to have brokered a deal to import Russian diesel and an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. As attacks on Kyiv continue, our deputy editor says Trump is risking Ukraine’s future for a mid-term bounce. India’s government is failing to quell Gen Z protests. And how song binds us together and brings joy. Guests and host: Edward Carr, deputy editor of The EconomistKira Huju, Asia correspondentJoel Budd, Britain social affairs editorRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: Ukraine, diesel, energy ceasefire, StarlinkCockroach party, Modi, Abhijeet DipkeSinging, Sacha Langton-Gilks, choirListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year ago Donald Trump created the Board of Peace to rebuild Gaza. Yet for many Palestinians, life is even harder, as the ceasefire is repeatedly violated, crime is rising and poverty rife. Why record labels are in a spin over AI music. And Japan is struggling to benefit from the global matcha boom. Guests and host: Nicolas Pelham, Middle East correspondentHenry Tricks, US technology and media editorMoeka Iida, East Asia reporterRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: Gaza, Board of Peace, HamasAI music, slop, Warner Music Group Matcha, Japan, KagoshimaListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weekend, Yemeni rebels struck Saudi Arabia’s international airport in the deadliest attack on a Gulf Arab country since the Iran war began in February. Our correspondent reports from Riyadh. How European manufacturers are adjusting to high energy prices and war. And the revival of writing by hand. Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondentGuy Scriven, global business writerCaitlin Talbot, culture correspondentRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: Saudi Arabia, Houthis, Yemen, Riyadh airportEuropean carmakers, energy prices, tariffsCursive, handwritingListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decades of messaging have not worked, so governments are trying new ways to get citizens to eat well, from scary labelling to taxing the junkiest foods. Will it work? The death of a plague researcher in Russia is made more mysterious by the government’s resolute lack of transparency. And a tribute to Cyril Hilsum, the inventor behind ubiquitous flat-screen displays. Watch extended clips from Insider here. Guests and host: Slavea Chankova, health-care correspondentAlex Turner, defence editorAnn Wroe, obituaries editorJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: diet, public health, health policyRussia, plague, bioweaponsCyril Hilsum, liquid crystals, flat-screen displays Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bond yields across the rich world keep ticking up. We take a global look at where the risks are mounting most, and just how much worry is warranted. What might have once seemed fanciful is becoming real: delivering daylight to dark parts of the world using mirrors in space. And the fatal earnestness of “The Social Reckoning”. Guests and host: Alex Domash, economics correspondentTim Cross, senior science writerTom Wainwright, culture correspondentRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: bond yields, monetary policy, animal spiritssatellite technology, darkness and light“The Social Reckoning”, Aaron Sorkin Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.