The suggestion that the virus first emerged from a Chinese laboratory has proved stubbornly persistent; as calls mount for more investigation, it has become a potent epidemiological and political idea. Latin America’s strict lockdowns have had the expected calamitous economic effects. We look at the region’s prospects for recovery. And the tricky business of artificially inseminating a shark.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French are back in cafes and Italians can stay out past 10pm—relief at reopening is widespread but European economic recovery risks being starkly unequal. Plus, Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival, the world’s biggest cruise company, shares lessons from a year in the doldrums as ships prepare to set sail again. And, are cryptocurrencies a financial world unto themselves? Patrick Lane hosts.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The regime got its quarry—a widely read, dissident blogger and his girlfriend—but faces international condemnation for its piratical means. How to pressure what is increasingly a pariah state? Our correspondent in the Democratic Republic of Congo surveys the damage from a sudden volcanic eruption; another could come at any time. And why more music-copyright disputes are ending up in court.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can RNA, which is crucial for the development of vaccines, be used for controlling agricultural pests? Also, we ask Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, a pioneer in next-generation DNA sequencing, what this technology heralds for the future of healthcare. And can dogs be used to screen for covid-19 at airports or mass gatherings? Kenneth Cukier hosts 

For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our new weekly science newsletter at economist.com/simplyscience.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A “zero-covid” strategy has kept cases to a minimum in a handful of Asia-Pacific countries. How can they use vaccines to end their isolation?

Professor Gabriel Leung of the University of Hong Kong says “zero-covid” countries have become victims of their own success, Charlie McCann explains South-East Asia’s worrying new wave, and Nell Whitehead reports from Australia.

Alok Jha and Natasha Loder are joined by Edward Carr, The Economist’s deputy editor.

For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/thejabpod. Sign up for our new weekly science and data newsletters at economist.com/simplyscience and economist.com/offthecharts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: race in America, the green investment boom (10:00), and why NATO increasingly sees its soldiers’ phones as a liability (21:50).

Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:

www.economist.com/podcastoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The idea that racism is resistant to laws meant to end it originated in academia a generation ago. It’s become more mainstream since the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed. How helpful is this way of thinking about race in America?

In this episode we assess how the debate on race is changing with historian Yohuru Williams; find out how "Critical Race Theory" entered the culture wars; and speak to Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of its leading scholars.

John Prideaux hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.