A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Disney previously turned its flagship film franchise into TV fodder, but Star Wars is now returning to cinemas. Much is riding on how it fares.

Topics covered:

• Star Wars
• Disney
• The Mandalorian and Grogu

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Since the pandemic, the types of parents choosing to home-school their children are changing, and so are their reasons for doing so.

Topics covered:

• Education
• Parenting
• Covid-19 pandemic

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Forty years ago, English football was a laughing-stock. Now it is a global powerhouse. Britain’s next prime minister could learn a thing or two from the Premier League.

Topics covered:

• Premier League
• Britain’s politics
• Sir Keir Starmer

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. America’s economy has again shown up the rest of the world. But it could have done better.

Topics covered:

• America’s economy
• MAGAnomics
• Tariffs

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. For years “Neanderthal” served as shorthand for ineptitude. Nobody would have considered them sophisticated enough to perform surgery. A battered tooth from a cave in southern Siberia is forcing a rethink.

Topics covered:

• Neanderthals
• Archaeology
• Evolutionary biology

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Chinese officials have ignored Europe's pleas to tackle trade imbalances. European leaders are preparing tougher trade measures against China. A trade war is becoming harder to avoid.

Topics covered:

• China
• European Union
• Trade

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Countries across Asia are being battered by the energy shock caused by the war in Iran. Governments in the region are having to adapt, with potentially long-lasting consequences.

Topics covered:

• Iran war
• Energy shock
• Renewable energy

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. AI is not yet destroying many jobs. But given how fast the technology is improving, governments must prepare a safety-net.

Topics covered:

• Artificial intelligence
• Labour markets
• Economic policy

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