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The Weekend Intelligence: The Economist Ex-planes
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In the Arizona desert the hulking metal carcasses of planes dot the vast dry expanse. In Tarbes, tail fins point towards the snow-capped mountains in the distance. On a motorway in Uttar Pradesh, an A320 is now a roadside diner. These are some of the places planes go when they’ve done their victory lap and come back down to earth for the final time.
On this episode of The Weekend Intelligence, the Economist’s Asia Correspondent Leo Mirani, a self-professed plane geek, travels the world to see what becomes of his beloved flying craft when they reach the end of their service, and discovers an aviation afterlife.
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The Weekend Intelligence: The world’s toughest exam
46:15|Thirty million Indians want a job on the railways, but a fiendish general-knowledge test stands in their way. Could you “Explain America's policy on Huawei.”? Do you know the answer to “Who propounded the homeopathic principle ‘like cures like’?”?In the city of Patna, the capital of India’s second-largest state, an entire industry has developed to cater to Indians desperate for a shot at a stable career. Reporter Dipanjan Sinha travels to Patna to meet the pupils and teachers gambling on India’s railway lottery.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.Music by Blue dot Sessions and Epidemic.
State swing: recognising Palestine
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Luxe run out? LVMH
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Heavy meddle: Trump and Brazil
20:11|President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another ousted president who clung to power. India has surpassed China as Asia’s biggest private-jet buyer, but not only because of rising numbers of super-rich. And Hong Kong’s quirky fusion cafes bloom abroad as they thin out at home.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.
Pause for little effect: a trickle of aid in Gaza
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EU gotta know when to hold ‘em: America’s latest trade deal
20:38|The European Union will swallow 15% tariffs in exchange for promises to buy American. We examine the accord and ask what will stick. The English region of the Midlands is unjustly overlooked, our correspondent says; how can it get its due? And Fauja Singh ran his first marathon aged 88—or thereabouts. Our obituaries editor reflects on his relationship with running.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.
The Weekend Intelligence: The hunt for Austin Tice (part 3)
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Xiaomi the way: a Chinese tech giant gets bigger
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