The Decibel

Context is everything. Join us Monday to Friday for a Canadian daily news podcast from The Globe and Mail. Explore a story shaping our world, in conversation with reporters, experts, and the people at the centre of the news.

Latest podcasts

  1. The peace deal to end ‘world’s biggest war’ in Tigray

    Wednesday, November 16th 2022

    Two weeks after a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Tigray was reached, humanitarian aid finally started to arrive in the Tigrayan region on Tuesday. It’s the first sign that Ethiopia’s blockade, cutting off food, medicine and communications, is ending. The brutal two-year-long civil war has led to the death of as many 600,000 people.

    The Globe and Mail’s Africa Bureau Chief, Geoffrey York explains why this deal is so desperately needed, how the arrival of aid is a step in the right direction and why a number of factors still exist that could threaten its implementation.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

  2. What the liberation of Kherson means for the war in Ukraine

    Tuesday, November 15th 2022

    The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon was in Kherson this weekend while residents celebrated Ukraine regaining control of the city from Russia’s invading forces. They had been under Russian occupation since the beginning of March, just days into the war, and life has been difficult.

    Mark tells us about what he has been hearing from people and what this latest loss for Russia means for the broader conflict.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

  3. How FTX went from $32-billion to bankrupt in a week

    Monday, November 14th 2022

    Sam Bankman-Fried was seen by many as the golden boy of the cryptocurrency world. He was the CEO of major crypto exchange FTX, which at its peak was worth US$32-billion. He was known to hobnob with celebrities and work with Washington on the thorny issues of regulating crypto.

    But both his company and his reputation crumbled this week. Now people who had deposited their digital assets and cash on FTX are having issues getting their money back and investors in the platform have had to write off their investments as zero. Report on Business editor Ethan Lou explains the latest catastrophe in this very bad year for cryptocurrency.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

  4. Why this climate scientist is worried the Bahamas won’t exist in 50 years

    Friday, November 11th 2022

    At the global climate conference COP27, a major discussion is a loss and damage fund. The idea is that wealthier countries that contributed more to climate change would put money towards a fund that poorer countries could use to recover after climate-induced disasters like hurricanes, floods or droughts.

    But countries like the Bahamas are already feeling the impacts of climate change. Climate scientist and tropical storm expert Marjahn Finlayson tells us how climate change is affecting her home, and what responsibility countries like Canada have to help.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

  5. Abortion rights’ impact on the Republican wave

    Thursday, November 10th 2022

    Republicans were expected to dominate the midterm elections, but the anticipated ‘red wave’ did not pan out. Democrats did better than expected and some of that is being attributed to the support for abortion rights across the country. NBC News exit polls report that the largest number of people said inflation was the deciding issue for their vote – with abortion coming in a close second.

    Rosemary Westwood is a public health reporter in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the host of a podcast called Banned, about the battle over abortion rights in the deep south. She explains what happened at the midterms and what it means for the future of abortion rights in the U.S.

    Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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