In the daily tea leaves one might read that President Donald Trump would prefer a deal with Iran to a continuing military campaign. Where would that leave Israel and its goals? Cryptocurrencies have gained a particular foothold in Asian economies; will they become real financial infrastructure or just tools of fraud? And tracing the history of mafias through the ages.

Guests and host:

• Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent
• Sue-Lin Wong, Asia correspondent
• Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran war, Israel, America
• cryptocurrency, Asia
• mafias, crime families, history

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Air strikes and border raids have turned cross-border tensions into hot conflict. We ask what raised the temperature, and whether the Iran war may act to lower it. Meanwhile that war’s oil shock brings with it fears of rising inflation; we examine how recent disruptions might inform policy decisions. And “listening parties”, once for music-industry insiders, are becoming the norm.

Guests and host:

• Tom Sasse, south Asia bureau chief
• Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent
• Caitlin Talbot, digital culture correspondent
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Afghanistan, Taliban, Pakistan, TTP
• Iran war, oil shock, inflation
• music, albums, listening parties

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.

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As the war in Iran progresses, none of the options available to Donald Trump looks good. We examine each of them. Thailand’s Buddhist monks are implicated in lots of lawless and dodgy behaviour—but clearing out the bad apples is more complicated than it seems. And gene-editing comes to the fruit bowl: we look at what science is serving up next.

Guests and host:

• Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
• Alizée Jean-Baptiste, Asia senior podcasts producer
• Maria Lisik, news editor
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran war, Donald Trump
• Thailand, Buddhist monks
• gene-editing, fruit

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.

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