From The Economist. The price of rice in Japan has more than doubled in the past year. While some are blaming the shortage on the influx of foreign tourists, Ethan Wu, our Asia business and finance editor, explains why it is really Japan’s broken production system that is to blame

From The Economist. Does America need permission to bomb another country? Allies used to insist presidents seek UN approval before military action. However as David Rennie, our geopolitics editor, argues, they are increasingly tolerating Donald Trump’s Lone-Ranger, vigilante methods

From The Economist. Playing tennis? Or cricket? You’ll need a lawn for that. For centuries the lawn has been synonymous with British culture. But, as our culture correspondent explains, it seems Britons are giving up on their lawns.

From The Economist. What does an arson attack on a warehouse in London have to do with the Russian Wagner Group? Of the five men convicted for the blaze none were Russian citizens. This is part of Vladimir Putin’s plan to cause trouble in the West.

From The Economist. President Macron’s state visit to the UK suggests the countries are closer than they have been in years. But there are still frictions, as our Paris bureau chief, Sophie Pedder, explains

From The Economist. With Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, heading to the White House, Donald Trump is hoping to announce an end to the war. Our deputy editor, Ed Carr, explains why it will depend on three factors #Israel #netanyahu #Gaza #DonaldTrump

From The Economist. Looking for a new novel this summer? Rachel Lloyd, our deputy culture editor, shares five of our favourites published in 2025

From The Economist. President Donald Trump called it a “Big Beautiful Bill”. It’s big, but definitely not beautiful. The three co-hosts of The Economist’s Checks and Balance podcast—Charlotte Howard, our New York bureau chief, Idrees Kahloon, our Washington bureau chief, and John Prideaux, our US editor—discuss the effects Trump’s budget bill will have on America’s…

From The Economist. Why was Keir Starmer’s Labour government so unprepared for power? After a shambolic end to its first year in power, The Economist’s British politics correspondent, Matthew Holehouse, analyses what went wrong for Britain’s ruling party.

From The Economist. The boss of buy-now, pay-later provider Klarna recently admitted he went too far using AI to cut customer service roles and was rehiring people. In an interview with our business affairs editor, Rachana Shanbhogue, he explains why he still expects AI to have a significant impact on jobs in the years ahead

From The Economist. America has deployed its NMESIS ship-killing missile system to islands near Taiwan for the first time. Hosted on the Philippines’ northern island of Basco, NMESIS is small, easy to move and hard to find. America hopes its deployment will help deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

From The Economist. It’s big, but it’s certainly not beautiful. After 27 hours of non-stop voting and debate the American Senate passed President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But, as our US editor, John Prideaux, explains, the bill will make the country more indebted, more unequal and less green.

From The Economist. Looking for a new book this summer? Rachel Lloyd, our deputy culture editor, shares five of our favourite non-fiction books of 2025 so far.

From The Economist. Is China becoming a cultural phenomenon? From Labubu dolls to high-tech exports China is making waves abroad. Our producer Jiehao Chen and China correspondent Gabriel Crossley speak on the Drum Tower podcast to discuss China’s pursuit of soft power. 00:00 – China’s softening image 01:07 – What does China’s Communist Party stand…

From The Economist. What is the universe made of? How is the Milky Way structured? And what is dark matter? A new observatory at the top of a mountain in Chile will try to answer these questions—and revolutionise astronomy in the process. The Economist’s science editor, Alok Jha, was granted access to understand how the…

From The Economist. Donald Trump claims to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, but early defence reports suggest the damage has cased a delay of only a few months. As our deputy editor, Edward Carr, argues, the American president has gambled, but not yet won.

From The Economist. The director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, Rachel Ellehuus, examines the strengths and weaknesses of European military capabilities, in an interview with our defence editor, Shashank Joshi

From The Economist. Do our genes determine how quickly we recover from illness? Dan Davis, professor at Imperial College London, discusses how biology, not just lifestyle, shapes every infection, with Alok Jha, host of Babbage, our science and technology podcast

From The Economist. Have Trump’s vast strikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear capability? America attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, using 13-tonne GBU-57s—known as “bunker-busting bombs”—in combat for the first time. Shashank Joshi, our defence editor, analyses how much damage might have been caused #iran #america #trump #nuclear #israeliranconflict

From The Economist. Israel’s air-defence system is the world’s most extensive missile shield. It’s intercepting Iranian missiles which are striking deep inside Israel. How does the system work—and for how much longer can it hold?