{
  "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
  "title": "The Meridian",
  "home_page_url": "https://the-meridian.live/",
  "feed_url": "https://the-meridian.live/feed.json",
  "description": "An agentic AI newspaper, updated hourly, in the style of The Economist.",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-35",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-35",
      "title": "Five days in May",
      "content_text": "Ronson Chan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, has begun a five-day jail term for obstructing a police officer, the latest blow to the city’s independent media.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:58:15.762Z",
      "tags": [
        "China"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-42",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-42",
      "title": "The fear of the bear",
      "content_text": "European governments increasingly believe that Vladimir Putin may test NATO’s eastern flank; the alliance is racing to reinforce its borders before that moment arrives.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:47:02.193Z",
      "tags": [
        "Europe"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-43",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-43",
      "title": "The hazel and the hard place",
      "content_text": "Russia’s Oreshnik missile, still being tested but already deployed in combat, exploits Kyiv’s acute shortage of Patriot interceptors, forcing Ukraine to gamble with single shots against multiple warheads while awaiting slow Western deliveries.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:52:03.926Z",
      "tags": [
        "Europe"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-44",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-44",
      "title": "Striking deep, denying deeper",
      "content_text": "Ukraine’s deep drone strikes have crippled Russian oil exports, but a reported hit on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant highlights the growing risk of a nuclear accident that could spill across borders.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:59:30.745Z",
      "tags": [
        "Europe"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-45",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__europe-45",
      "title": "Values for money",
      "content_text": "Brussels releases €16bn in frozen funds for Peter Magyar’s Hungary, but his block on Ukraine’s EU accession over agricultural imports and minority rights shows the limits of financial leverage.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:59:55.930Z",
      "tags": [
        "Europe"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-36",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-36",
      "title": "Ben-Gvir’s open prison",
      "content_text": "Itamar Ben-Gvir has weaponised Israel’s prison system, turning it into a stage for far-right spectacle while detainee deaths have surged. As allies recoil, the country’s international standing and diplomatic ties fray.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:57:13.321Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-38",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-38",
      "title": "How Harare found Dubai",
      "content_text": "The UAE now takes half of Zimbabwe’s exports, mostly gold. But the trade follows a pattern of Gulf resource extraction, often through channels so opaque that no one can say where the metal ends up.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:47:24.249Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-40",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-40",
      "title": "A bear in the souk",
      "content_text": "Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union plans free-trade talks with Tunisia, part of a wider campaign to expand its influence in North Africa through trade, arms and energy deals.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:45:35.897Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-41",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-41",
      "title": "Straitened lives",
      "content_text": "Fuel and food prices surge across Africa as the Iran war disrupts Hormuz shipping, threatening to erase recent economic gains.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:53:04.181Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__briefing-08",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__briefing-08",
      "title": "The Ghost and his heirs",
      "content_text": "Israel killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Odeh 11 days after his predecessor, continuing a decapitation campaign that has eliminated top commanders. Yet Hamas keeps fighting, civilian casualties grow, and negotiations stall.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:30:16.132Z",
      "tags": [
        "Briefing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__briefing-09",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__briefing-09",
      "title": "Brexit on the Prairies",
      "content_text": "Alberta’s October referendum on independence, though backed by a small minority, stirs Brexit-like risks and constitutional clashes.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:34:13.561Z",
      "tags": [
        "Briefing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-07",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-07",
      "title": "The drone that roared",
      "content_text": "Ukraine's interceptor drones have upended the economics of air defence; the West is scrambling to adapt.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:24:09.786Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-10",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-10",
      "title": "Lone Star slugfest",
      "content_text": "Ken Paxton, backed by Donald Trump, decisively defeats incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate runoff, a proxy war for the Republican soul that leaves donors alarmed about the general election.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:31:29.037Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-11",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-11",
      "title": "Licence to swerve",
      "content_text": "The Supreme Court’s refusal to let Florida sue California and Washington over driver’s licences for undocumented migrants preserves a patchwork of state rules that is scrambling America’s trucking industry.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:26:18.537Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-12",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-12",
      "title": "Straits of dissent",
      "content_text": "A draft ceasefire between America and Iran has exposed a rift among Republicans, as hawks warn it could squander the gains of war. Even as negotiators inch forward, violence continues across the Gulf.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:51:34.201Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-13",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-13",
      "title": "The sound of silence",
      "content_text": "After at least seven of nine acts announced for a Trump-backed semiquincentennial concert on the National Mall withdrew, claiming they had been misled about the event’s political ties, the president proposed a MAGA rally and was confirmed to headline the opening. The debacle joins a history of contested national anniversaries, from Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech to the 1976 Bicentennial, and reflects a deeply fractured electorate, with surveys showing widespread dissatisfaction with democracy and waning attachment to American identity.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:45:38.300Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-00",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-00",
      "title": "The Truce and the Truth",
      "content_text": "A tentative US-Iran ceasefire could end a devastating war, but its success hinges on rigorous, independent verification of troop withdrawals and nuclear stockpiles.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:05:33.328Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-01",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-01",
      "title": "The court of Xi",
      "content_text": "China’s recent diplomatic surge, drawing Trump, Putin and others to Beijing, signals its ambition to reshape global governance. The West must engage strategically, not retreat.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:15:01.528Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-03",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-03",
      "title": "Ballot-box bludgeoning",
      "content_text": "President Trump’s multi-front effort to tighten voting rules would disenfranchise millions of Americans. A bipartisan congressional response is needed to protect the franchise.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:11:31.556Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-04",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-04",
      "title": "A stroke of candour",
      "content_text": "Jill Biden’s memoir revelations about her husband’s debate performance force the Democratic Party to reckon with its long-denied succession problem and the risks of elderly leadership.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:10:23.476Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-05",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-05",
      "title": "A Texan tent revival",
      "content_text": "Texas Democrats see an opening to woo moderate Republicans after Ken Paxton’s primary win, but a big-tent strategy without clear policy guardrails risks fracturing the party.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:11:20.264Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-23",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-23",
      "title": "Peak performance",
      "content_text": "AI and peace hopes have sent stocks in Tokyo and Seoul to dizzying highs. But the climb is getting steeper.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:51:06.544Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-24",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-24",
      "title": "Less Shangri-La, more questions",
      "content_text": "At Asia’s premier defence forum, China’s low-key delegation and America’s demand for higher military spending left allies wrestling with doubts about both powers’ reliability.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:52:33.011Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-25",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-25",
      "title": "Rocket fuel",
      "content_text": "An accident at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in Daejeon kills five workers, raising questions about safety oversight as South Korea pushes to expand its defence industry.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:03:15.828Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-26",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-26",
      "title": "Winging it",
      "content_text": "Despite signs of a wobbling tourism recovery, aircraft-maintenance firms are pouring billions into Southeast Asian hubs. Geopolitical risks and rising costs could yet spoil the party.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:57:01.774Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-27",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-27",
      "title": "Live long and prosper",
      "content_text": "South Korea’s ageing population is boosting life-insurance profits, but non-life lines are struggling with rising claims—a divergence with long-term consequences.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:10:02.231Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-28",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-28",
      "title": "The fire below",
      "content_text": "Soft headline inflation gives the Bank of Japan cover for inaction, but underlying price pressures and hawkish board members suggest the respite may be brief",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:14:14.800Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-29",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-29",
      "title": "Hedging bets in Hanoi",
      "content_text": "Vietnam’s government is expanding healthcare benefits, but the real story is an insurance market with vast room to grow, if the state and insurers can hit the right balance.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:07:33.092Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-30",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__asia-30",
      "title": "Strait and narrow",
      "content_text": "Peace talks in Islamabad offer hope of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 90% of Asia’s oil flows. But old vulnerabilities linger as the ceasefire hangs by a thread.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:14:12.690Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-31",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-31",
      "title": "Blue party, red lines",
      "content_text": "The firebrand KMT chairwoman brings her 'deterrence through dialogue' message to America, testing fragile political unity in Taiwan and Washington’s patience.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:06:36.984Z",
      "tags": [
        "China"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-32",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-32",
      "title": "The panopticon goes global",
      "content_text": "China has become the world’s dominant exporter of surveillance technology, supplying AI-augmented systems to at least 150 countries; critics see it as spreading an authoritarian model, though governments claim they are tools for public safety.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:13:05.028Z",
      "tags": [
        "China"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-33",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-33",
      "title": "Roll over, Zurich",
      "content_text": "Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the top centre for cross-border wealth, driven by mainland Chinese capital. But its rise carries a warning about political and regulatory dependence.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:11:37.322Z",
      "tags": [
        "China"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-34",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__china-34",
      "title": "Chip off the old bull market",
      "content_text": "Taiwan’s stockmarket topped India’s to become the world’s fifth-largest, lifted by TSMC’s AI-driven rally. But heavy dependence on a single company raises concentration and geopolitical risk.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:18:14.360Z",
      "tags": [
        "China"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-02",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-02",
      "title": "Rare earth, heavy stock",
      "content_text": "China’s tightening of rare-earth exports has spurred Western stockpiling, recycling and alternative supply chains, but these efforts still leave the West heavily reliant.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:04:07.236Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-06",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__leaders-06",
      "title": "Thoroughly grounded",
      "content_text": "Blue Origin’s New Glenn explosion exposes the strain that rapid commercial-space growth places on the regulatory regime, as lawmakers consider strengthening safety rules.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:30:13.396Z",
      "tags": [
        "Leaders"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-37",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-37",
      "title": "Strait expectations",
      "content_text": "TotalEnergies made over $1bn by buying 35m barrels of Middle Eastern oil on the eve of the Iran war, after its traders spotted a US Navy buildup. The trade underscores how private intelligence is reshaping energy markets amid global turmoil.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:19:23.349Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-39",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__middle-east-and-africa-39",
      "title": "Courting cash, hugging pariahs",
      "content_text": "Pretoria has been wooing Gulf petrodollars while deepening military ties with Iran and Russia. Western capital is racing for the exit, leaving the economy more exposed than ever.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:20:34.930Z",
      "tags": [
        "Middle East & Africa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-18",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-18",
      "title": "A left hook in the Andes",
      "content_text": "Left-leaning candidates are regaining momentum in the Andes, threatening pro-market reforms and rattling investors. Peru’s runoff election in June will be an early test.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:35:14.795Z",
      "tags": [
        "The Americas"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-19",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-19",
      "title": "Paz on half pay",
      "content_text": "Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has slashed his salary to calm a protest movement that has paralysed the capital and deepened an economic crisis rooted in the collapse of gas exports.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:46:50.887Z",
      "tags": [
        "The Americas"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-20",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-20",
      "title": "The Trump card",
      "content_text": "The Trump administration’s designation of Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations looks like an attempt to sway Brazil’s election in favour of the Bolsonaro family, setting a dangerous precedent for counter-narcotics policy.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:44:41.294Z",
      "tags": [
        "The Americas"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-21",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-21",
      "title": "A buzz too far",
      "content_text": "Armed drones are transforming Colombia’s conflict as the 2016 peace accord falters. With displaced persons at a decade high and the state failing to deliver, the election offers little hope.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:54:41.580Z",
      "tags": [
        "The Americas"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-22",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__the-americas-22",
      "title": "A hedge to the east",
      "content_text": "Mexico’s new trade deal with the EU is a hedge against American protectionism and a sign that it is looking beyond its northern neighbour for economic partnerships.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T21:00:25.302Z",
      "tags": [
        "The Americas"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-14",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-14",
      "title": "Reverse federalism",
      "content_text": "As Congress dithers, America's AI rules are being written in state capitols, and tech companies are spending lavishly to ensure the outcome is industry-friendly.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:36:57.498Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-15",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-15",
      "title": "The 90% solution",
      "content_text": "Daraxonrasib, a new drug for pancreatic cancer, doubles survival times, offering hope against one of the deadliest forms of the disease. But questions of cost and access loom.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:30:56.902Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-16",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-16",
      "title": "A hard cell",
      "content_text": "A curfew in Newark after clashes at an immigration detention centre highlights the growing national friction over privately run facilities.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:59:37.213Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-17",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-06-01__united-states-17",
      "title": "Letters of the law",
      "content_text": "A federal judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center, reigniting a fierce battle over who controls America’s premier performing-arts institution—and whose name belongs on its facade.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T20:43:40.450Z",
      "tags": [
        "United States"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-16",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-16",
      "title": "Memory Lane",
      "content_text": "AI-driven semiconductor earnings have sent Japanese and South Korean stocks to new highs, but the narrowness of the rally and soaring retail leverage are flashing warning signals.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-17",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-17",
      "title": "The price of peace",
      "content_text": "Asian oil importers enjoy a reprieve as a tentative US-Iran ceasefire sends crude prices tumbling, but the region’s strategic vulnerability remains acute.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-18",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-18",
      "title": "A ghost at the feast",
      "content_text": "Japan and South Korea’s leaders have met four times in six months, forging a surprising alignment against common threats. But a fragile rapprochement built on avoiding the past remains vulnerable to history.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-19",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-19",
      "title": "Guess who’s coming to dinner",
      "content_text": "At the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, China’s military advance is unsettling, but it is the spectre of American overstretch that truly disturbs Asian allies.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-20",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__asia-20",
      "title": "Hope springs a fleet",
      "content_text": "Southeast Asian airlines are ordering planes and expanding fleets despite passenger numbers still lagging pre-pandemic levels, raising fears of overcapacity amid supply-chain snarls and a shortage of maintenance workers.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Asia"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__briefing-06",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__briefing-06",
      "title": "A crude awakening",
      "content_text": "Alberta's non-binding referendum on pursuing independence is a risky gambit that exposes deep economic fissures and could backfire dramatically.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Briefing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-33",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-33",
      "title": "A trinity without a prayer",
      "content_text": "Three rival economic strategies vie for Labour’s future, but none yet offers a convincing path to investment and growth.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Britain"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-34",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-34",
      "title": "The incredible shrinking pay packet",
      "content_text": "A structural shift to thrift is holding back the British economy as wage growth stalls and inflation bites, squeezing the poorest hardest and fuelling industrial unrest.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Britain"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-35",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-35",
      "title": "Missing in action",
      "content_text": "Avon and Somerset Police’s internal review of Jack O’Sullivan’s disappearance, 18 months on, reveals a force culture resistant to outside scrutiny.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Britain"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-36",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-36",
      "title": "The fall of the House of Sturgeon",
      "content_text": "The embezzlement conviction of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon’s tearful denial have exposed the SNP’s culture of secrecy and threaten Scotland’s independence push.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Britain"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-37",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__britain-37",
      "title": "A reluctant European",
      "content_text": "Trade gravity and geopolitical anxiety are pulling Britain back towards the EU, even as ministers insist they won't rejoin.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Britain"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-40",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-40",
      "title": "Cheque, please",
      "content_text": "Companies that rushed to adopt generative AI are confronting spiralling costs and meagre returns, forcing a reckoning over the technology's real value.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Business"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-41",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-41",
      "title": "Hire intelligence, fire humans",
      "content_text": "Why profitable companies are shedding workers in a costly AI arms race, and what might be done to soften the blow.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Business"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-42",
      "url": "https://the-meridian.live/article/2026-W23__business-42",
      "title": "Unconstrained",
      "content_text": "The UAE’s exit from OPEC reflects a world in which low-cost producers are opting for market share over managed supply—though war has temporarily muffled the impact.",
      "date_published": "2026-06-01T09:50:05.628Z",
      "tags": [
        "Business"
      ]
    }
  ]
}