A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves
January 22, 2025
22 min
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1,623 of 2,031
January 22, 2025
A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves
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The Economist Episodes Around January 22, 2025
Episode 1,623 of 2,031 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
22:50This episodeA tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves
Summary
<p>The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine how this extortion <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2025/01/18/inside-the-houthis-moneymaking-machine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">affects world trade</a>. China is fast <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/09/19/chinas-ai-firms-are-cleverly-innovating-around-chip-bans?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">closing its gap</a> with America on AI innovation, and doing so far more cheaply (7:22). And a trip to a Ghanaian rum distillery reveals <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/01/16/west-african-booze-is-becoming-a-luxury-product?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a regional trend</a> (15:44). </p><br /><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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