In February The Weekend Intelligence reported from Lithuania where civilian society is gearing up to defend itself from attacks across the border; The Economist’s Tim Judah, who has recently come back from a reporting trip in Ukraine, has seen first hand what happens to a nation at war.

Returning to London he went in search of what plans the UK government has for Britain’s civil defence, if and when the time comes. What he found was hardly reassuring.

Topics covered:

• Civil Defence
• Britain
• Disaster relief

Lithuania ep: https://shows.acast.com/theintelligencepodcast/episodes/the-weekend-intelligence-how-to-prepare-for-an-invasion

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Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

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Sperm and egg donation is increasingly common: nearly one in five births following IVF treatment in Britain involves a donor.

But what happens to the children created? There are, globally, no limits on how many children each donor can produce, which can lead to large sibling groups, and no international agreement on if they can find out their donor’s identity.

Harriet Shawcross, who has two children via donor conception with her wife, speaks to some of the women trying to change the narrative.

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Music by bluedot and epidemic.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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The last two years have been turbulent ones in Georgia. After mass protests against the government began in November 2024, hundreds were detained and reporting torture in custody. The authorities unleashed a first world war chemical weapon against their own people. And then they got to work dismantling democracy.

Criminal penalties for foreign-funded organisations, opposition parties banned, universities gutted, journalists imprisoned.

Robin Forestier-Walker, a journalist based in Tbilisi, has been charting this rapid descent into authoritarianism from the inside. As friends and colleagues are targeted, he’s wondering whether it’s time to pack up his family and say goodbye.

Topics covered:

• Georgia
• Russia
• Authoritarianism

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Music by Blue Dot and Epidemic.

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