The Intelligence from The Economist

Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma. Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick. Launching June 2024.To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Our editor-in-chief and Jerusalem correspondent pay a visit to Israel’s halls of power, finding that long-whispered dissent is spilling into the open. An Italian subsidy for green home improvements was ripe for abuse by design; the bill has now come due and it is enormous (14:28). And how “Bridgerton”, a sort-of period drama, has made string quartets fashionable again (21:00). Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

When it comes to the chips used in artificial intelligence, one firm has the market locked up. We look at the rivals minded to steal Nvidia’s crown. The death toll from the war in Gaza has been disputed since the start; we cut through the numbers to find a reliable estimate (10:19). And our correspondent examines the great rematches of fiction (16:07).Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Domestic divisions are already complicating the daunting task William Lai Ching-te has set himself: strengthening Taiwan while maintaining its ambiguous geopolitical status quo. With more and more big firms choosing to stay private—with good reason—the stockmarket is shrinking (09:37). And dating apps are putting an end to the lonely-hearts advertisement (16:47).Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has caused outrage by requesting arrest warrants for both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Hamas’s leaders. China’s young people, on the lookout for safe ways to invest modest sums, have settled on collecting little gold beans (13:20). And Hawaii may soon have the first official state gesture (17:04).  Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

The death of Ebrahim Raisi will spark succession battles both for the presidency and for supreme leader-in-waiting. What kind of Iran will result? Accusations and evidence of Chinese espionage are stacking up in and raising tensions with Britain (9:57). And how the careers advisers of TikTok are shaping the future of job-hunting (18:54).Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Mumbai is famously an open city, known for welcoming all comers, regardless of colour, caste, or creed. But as the city goes about building its future, Economist correspondent Leo Mirani, a proud Mumbaikar, fears his city’s character is being buried beneath the rubble.In this episode of the Weekend Intelligence Leo contemplates how all this construction will change his beloved Bombay, and who the Mumbai of the future is really designed for.Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

A bid to squeeze money from social-media platforms that link to news content has backfired: what was intended to help publishers is instead harming them. America’s workers still work more than Europe’s; what is changing is where they do it (9:44). And remembering Shirley Conran, whose books were more than merely saucy: they helped women with everything from money to mathematics (16:22). Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

An attempt on Robert Fico’s life comes at a time of deep-running polarisation in his country—much of which is his own doing. A vote today among auto workers in America’s historically union-unfriendly south will indicate whether an organised-labour revolution can take hold (9:26). And the perception of time varies depending on what you are looking at (17:24).Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.