Disorder of magnitude: France’s riots

<p>What started as student protests ballooned into national lawlessness. The disorder plays into the hands of France’s political extremes; <u><a href="economist.com/europe/2026/10/18/expect-violent…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">expect more of it</a></u>. In Zimbabwe white farmers are <u><a href="economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/10/0…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">returning to work land</a></u> taken by Robert Mugabe a quarter-century ago. And our columnist considers the <u><a href="economist.com/business/2026/09/22/bartleby-new…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">delicate wording</a></u> that might indemnify AI firms if the bots happen to wipe out humanity. </p><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief</li><li>John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent</li><li>Andrew Palmer, “Bartleby” columnist</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>France riots, French politics</li><li>Zimbabwe, agriculture, white farmers</li><li>AI, extinction-level events, legalese, parody</li></ul><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<u><a href="subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subscribe to The Economist</a></u>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a>; for more information.</p>