Pregnant pause: India’s slumping fertility

Ceasefire alarm: Iran and Israel trade strikes

The fragile ceasefire between America and Iran is threatened by an exchange of ballistic missiles [https://www.economist.com/topics/war-in-the-middle-east?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] overnight between Iran and Israel. Our correspondent examines the consequences. China’s BYD cars [https://www.economist.com/business/2026/06/03/byd-is-losing-its-spark?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] are losing ground to other electric vehicles. And why hit TV shows inspire “companion podcasts [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/05/14/companion-podcasts-are-the-latest-hit-format?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]”.   Guests and host: * Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent * Don Weinland, China business editor * Elizabeth Peet, researcher * Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence” * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” Topics covered:  * Iran, Israel, Lebanon, ceasefire, Trump * BYD, EVs, Tesla, Xpeng, Li Auto * Podcasts, Beef, The Pitt, HBO Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Pregnant pause: India’s slumping fertility

After decades of overpopulation worries, the country now has the opposite concern. We examine India’s unusual demographic turn [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/06/04/indias-surprise-baby-bust-is-a-warning-to-the-world?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], and why it is a wider warning to the world. Vegan substitutes have broadly improved in recent years—so why is there no good vegan cheese [https://www.economist.com/interactive/1843/2026/05/08/grate-expectations-the-troubled-quest-for-tasty-vegan-cheese?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]? And remembering Sonny Rollins [https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/06/04/sonny-rollins-believed-that-jazz-was-all-there-was?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], an absolute colossus of the saxophone.  Watch extended clips from Insider here [https://www.economist.com/interactive/insider/previews?utm_campaign=a.brand_fy2627_q1_awareness-imp-tr_prospecting_global-global_direct_na&utm_medium=audio.podcast.pd&utm_source=economist&utm_content=discovery.awareness.anonymous.tr_nativeread_np-tiinsider-apr_na-na_web_na_na_na_na&utm_term=sa.arc-isi]. Guests and host: * Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief * Sam Colbert, senior series producer, Economist Podcasts * Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * India, fertility rates, global population * vegan cheese * Sonny Rollins, jazz Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

A murder exploited: Britain’s George Floyd moment that wasn’t

Nigel Farage, leader of the populist-right Reform UK party, wants Britons to be enraged by a killing in the street. We ask why his tone has changed [https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/06/03/was-this-britains-george-floyd-moment?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] from “colour-blind” to race-baiting. NATO must now take seriously the idea that America is pulling back; we ask how it is adjusting [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/05/21/why-nato-needs-a-plan-b?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]. And why skipping title sequences is forgoing some of television’s magic [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/06/01/why-you-should-never-skip-a-tv-intro?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]. Guests and host: * Hugo Gye, British political correspondent * Jonathan Rosenthal, international correspondent * Andrew Miller, “Back Story” columnist * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * British politics, race relations * NATO, American foreign policy * television, media Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Focused group: Ukraine is now Europe’s war

Now that America has stepped back, Europe is at last stepping up. We examine the bloc’s tactics [https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/06/01/ukraine-is-now-europes-war-survival-cant-be-the-only-aim?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] (if not yet a strategy) and how steady its support is likely to be. With the coming public listings of SpaceX and Anthropic, we ask whether stockmarkets can handle a string of “giga-IPOs [https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/06/01/can-the-stockmarket-swallow-anthropic-spacex-and-openai?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]”. And our World Cup series looks at Iran’s side. Guests and host: * Tom Nuttall, chief Germany correspondent * Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent * Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * Europe, security, Ukraine war * IPOs, investment, stockmarkets, SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI * World Cup, Iran Visit education.economist.com [https://education.economist.com/] and use code 5YEARS to save 15% on courses developed by our editors and correspondents. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Head out of the cloud: Nvidia’s personal-computer shift

The AI world’s go-to chipmaker is blazing a trail toward your personal computer. We ask what moving out of the cloud indicates about the future of computing. The three candidates for mayor of Los Angeles could not be more different, and they are running neck and neck. And updating generic filler text for the business-jargon era. Guests and host: * Shailesh Chitnis, global business writer * Aryn Braun, West Coast correspondent * Andrew Palmer, executive editor and “Bartleby” columnist * Jason Palmer (no relation), co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * Nvidia, AI, technology * Los Angeles, American politics * corporate jargon Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.