Taken littorally: Spain’s sudden crisis in Ceuta

About this episode

<p>The deadly <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/07/31/a-migrant-surge-tests-spains-open-policies?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rush of migrants</a> into the Spanish exclave has deep roots in a wider North African conflict—and implications for a far wider European fight about immigration. Our India columnist presents an incomplete list of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/07/12/an-incomplete-list-of-falling-objects-in-india?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">falling objects</a> as a way to examine public-safety failures. And a data dive that reveals how AI writing is <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/07/30/how-to-spot-ai-writing?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">forever shifting</a>.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Michael Reid, Spain correspondent and writer at large</li><li>Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist</li><li>Caitlin Talbot, digital culture correspondent</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Ceuta, migration, Spain, EU, Schengen</li><li>India, public safety</li><li>AI writing, waning human primacy</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>