Let the games be thin: Tokyo’s Olympic tussle...

In Iran, America is using expensive weaponry against cheap local drones. Can upstart tech companies change the economics – and nature — of conflict? As part of our ongoing series on the US at 250, we examine the impact of the two world wars. And should you ever use an emoji at wo ...  Show more

Can peace hold in Lebanon while Hizbullah remains? Our correspondent weighs the balance of power between government forces and the Iran-backed militia. The resale value of Labubus is falling – who cares? And remembering Swedish death-clearer, Margareta Magnusson. Watch extended c ...  Show more

Tokyo is under a state of emergency; covid-19 cases are piling up. But for Japan, a super-spreader event is just one of the potential <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/22/why-do-so-few-cities-want-to-host-the-olympics?utm_campaign=the-intelligen ...

In a global period of belt-tightening, popular anger <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/06/23/costly-food-and-energy-are-fostering-global-unrest?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous. ...

There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its diaspora who thought they were free. How monopolies are transforming America’s skiing indu ...  Show more

The populous South-East Asian country is uniquely well-positioned to benefit from the deepening rift between America and China, so what’s stopping it? How a breakaway party on Germany’s far left is appealing to voters in the east (08:13). And, why VAR is frustrating football fans ...  Show more