Iran continues to retaliate against attacks with ferocity. Though many of its ballistic missile facilities have been razed, its vast drone armoury is powerful and destructive. Who will benefit from India’s boom in data centres? And why giant board games are not child’s play.

Guests and host:

• Shashank Joshi, defence editor
• Gavin Jackson, South Asia business and finance correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, America, Shahed drones, Geran, Ukraine, Zelenksy
• India, data centres, Amazon, Meta, Google, Nvidia
• Monopoly, board games, toys, kidults

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Just one generation after they gained independence, people in the Baltic States are watching the threat from the Kremlin creep closer and closer. In Lithuania, the government is preparing the population to resist an invasion.

On “The Weekend Intelligence” Katie Bryant travels to Vilnius to ask how facing up to threat is changing the nation.

Topics covered:

Lithuania

Civil defence

Disinformation

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Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

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Overnight, the Pentagon said it “eliminated” 16 Iranian mine-laying ships, raising further jitters about the global impact of the war in Iran. Fifteen years after a tsunami caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan is restarting reactors. And our correspondent meets Jafar Panahi, the Iranian director whose film is nominated for two Oscars this weekend.

Guests and host:

• Rachana Shanbhogue, business and finance editor
• Noah Sneider, East Asia bureau chief
• Andrew Miller, “Back Story” columnist
• Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, oil prices, Donald Trump, Strait of Hormuz, Brent crude, International Energy Agency, Russia
• Japan, nuclear, Fukushima, tepco
• Oscars, “It Was Just An Accident”, Jafar Panahi

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After oil prices climbed to nearly $120 a barrel yesterday, Donald Trump signalled a possible abrupt end to the conflict in Iran. Markets calmed, but the course of the war remains unclear. Why China’s government has said little about Iran. And how a hippy grocery store became America’s swankiest supermarket.

Guests and host:

• Edward Carr, deputy editor of “The Economist”
• Simon Rabinovitch, Beijing bureau chief
• Avantika Chilkoti, global business correspondent
• Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, Donald Trump, Brent Crude, financial markets, Asia, oil shock
• Chinese foreign policy, Wang Yi
• Erewhon, food prices, supermarkets

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After Iran appoints a new supreme leader, what does the choice tell us about the resilience of the regime and how the war will progress? Scientific research in America has taken a battering in Donald Trump’s second term. And why British choirs face a shortage of tenor voices.

Guests and host:

• Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
• Daniella Raz, US correspondent
• Joel Budd, Britain social affairs editor
• Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, oil prices
• Scientific research, National Science Foundation, renewable energy
• Tenors, choirs, Oxford University

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After a momentous week, our editors reflect on how uncertainty about the goals of the war in Iran will affect its course. Iran’s retaliation has been fierce and wide ranging. How long can Gulf stocks of missile interceptors last? And our obituaries editor looks back at the life of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Guests and host:

• Edward Carr, Economist deputy editor
• Josie Delap, Middle East editor
• Shashank Joshi, defence editor
• Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
• Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, Donald Trump, third Gulf war, war goals
• Interceptor missiles, military strategy
• Ali Khamenei

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As America continues to batter Iran, what are the domestic implications of the war for Donald Trump? The widening conflict has prompted some European countries to deploy defensive forces. France has also announced a bigger shift in policy: to bolster its nuclear arsenal. And the politics of beer and nappies.

Guests and host:

• Adam Roberts, foreign editor
• Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief
• Shera Avi-Yonah, business writer
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, Donald Trump, senate, Turkey
• France, Macron, nuclear warheads, NATO
• MAGA, marketing

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As America and Israel continue to bombard Iran, much of Iran’s retaliation is directed against energy infrastructure. With tankers blocked and oil prices rising, our correspondent discusses the impact on the global economy. Why do student debts weigh heavily on Britain’s graduates? And is line dancing really becoming sexy?

Guests and host:

• Rachana Shanbhogue, business affairs editor
• Josh Roberts, capital markets correspondent
• Hollie Berman, news editor, US bureau
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Iran, oil, gas, global economy, Dubai, Gulf, stockmarkets
• Britain, universities, student loans, tax
• Line dancing, New York, bar culture

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