The Intelligence from The Economist

Kharkiv has been under attack. On May 10th, Russia began a fresh offensive in Kharkiv province, home of Ukraine’s second largest city. But for the people that call Kharkiv home, they are not just fighting for survival; they are fighting for the heart of their city. Despite the war, new cafes, bookshops, exhibitions, and nightclubs are springing up, defiantly. Wendell Steavenson reports on a type of cultural renaissance the city has experienced once before...Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

After the 2002 Gujarat riots, Modi was persona non grata in the West. Now he’s welcomed with state dinners. What does India’s rise mean for the world and how should the West handle Modi?This episode draws on audio from the following publishers: Reuters, CBS News, AP Archive, Getty, TV84, Prime Minister’s Office India, NDTV, The Obama White House, India Today, Mango News,Biden-Harris White House,  Narendra Modi YouTube, The Print, and Business Standard.To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Modi runs a slick, high-tech campaign and wins a historic majority in the 2014 election. His leadership evolves as he implements a contentious new economic policy and responds to an attack by a Pakistan-based terror group - with force.This episode draws on audio from the following publishers: SnoopDogTV, Narendra Modi YouTube,Reuters,  Times Now, RajyaSabha TV, NDTV, Bharatiya Janata Party YouTube, News Click, DW News, ANI, India Today and CTGN.To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Britain’s pint-sipping rabble-rouser of the right has joined the campaigning ahead of a general election. Win or lose, he will make an impact. America’s stadiums and arenas are often built using taxpayer dollars; they are also often terrible value for money (10:08). And a tribute to William Anders, an astronaut who snapped one of history’s most famed photographs (17:15).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

America’s upbeat assessment of a ceasefire deal masks deep divides that may not, in fact, be bridgeable. There are nevertheless reasons for optimism. Our data team digs into the accusation that the New York Times’s bestseller list is biased against conservatives (10:58). And why a quirk of British regulation is holding back its non-alcoholic-drinks industry (19:08). Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

We have dusted off and tuned up our forecast model for America’s presidential race. So far it gives Donald Trump a marginally higher chance of a second term. There is at last progress on not one but two vaccines to beat malaria (9:02). And a look at the “tradwives” of TikTok: passionate homemakers who prefer the gender roles of the past (15:10).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Across the rich world millions spend more than a third of their disposable income on rent. We ask why policymakers have such terrible ideas on easing the pressure. America’s bid to crimp TikTok has raised a flurry of issues far graver than social-media scrolling (9:53). And why pop stars are (again) embracing the album over the single (15:46).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hard-right parties did well in Europe's parliamentary elections—so well in France that President Emmanuel Macron called a risky snap election. Elsewhere, though, the political centre held. We examine the policies that are getting America’s many chronically truant students back in school (9:13). And the delicate business of naming a new car (16:42).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Riots in 2002 that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, put Narendra Modi’s leadership in Gujarat in the spotlight. In the second episode of our series, he looks for a way to reinvent himself and repair the reputation of Gujarat.This episode draws on audio from the following publishers: BBC, Doordarshan, Desh Gujarat, Vibrant Gujarat, BBC Hindi and CNN-IBN.To listen to the full series, search "The Modi Raj" and subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.