The Second Paragraph

One news story a week, explained from the start

Daniel Achebe-Hughes2 episodes2 min of audio133 playsEpisodic

Episodes

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S1 · E2Sep 17, 20261:1190 plays Preview

What a sovereign default actually is

A country has missed a bond payment and the word default is everywhere. Daniel explains what that means for ordinary people, who the creditors are and what happens next.

S1 · E1Apr 29, 20261:0843 plays Members

Why the river treaty is back in the news

A decades-old river-sharing treaty between two neighbours is suddenly contested. Daniel traces where it came from, who it protects, what changed and why farmers downstream are watching closely.

About the show

Most news assumes you already know the background. The Second Paragraph does not. Each week Daniel Achebe-Hughes picks one story that has been in the headlines and starts from the beginning: who the players are, what they want, how we got here and what the honest range of outcomes looks like. It is a solo narrated show with occasional short interviews with a reporter or academic who has lived with the story, and it runs about 30 minutes. There is no opinion segment and no side to take, just the context that a newspaper cuts because it has already run it last year. It is made for people who feel slightly behind on a story and would rather catch up properly than pretend. New episodes every Thursday, with a short reading list in the notes for anyone who wants to go further.

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