World politics
Glimmers of hope
It’s been a long slog, but Afghanistan may at last be able to contemplate more stable governmentMay 12th 2011
United States
The Blair House Project
The White House and Republicans agree on where to go. They now have to work out how to get thereMay 12th 2011
A rhetorical blowout
America’s politicians cannot control the price of petrol—but they still tryMay 12th 2011
The need to be seen to be clean
Natural-gas production is booming, but its green image is in questionMay 12th 2011
To the barricades for Medicare
A by-election may be a referendum on the Republicans’ health plansMay 12th 2011
The dance of the seven tweets
The former speaker starts a presidential campaignMay 12th 2011
The American exception
Vermont may become the first state to have government-run health careMay 12th 2011
Students v guns
Anger at bills to allow concealed weapons on campusMay 12th 2011
Save the fourth amendment
Fear of crime, not just fear of terrorism, has nibbled away at America’s libertiesMay 12th 2011
The Americas
Schooling the whole family
Teaching is improving, but slowly. Getting parents involved could speed things upMay 12th 2011
A close count
The balance of powers hangs in the balanceMay 12th 2011
Boreal blues
In the frigid north tension grows between conservation and developmentMay 12th 2011
Asia
Humiliation of the military men
Civilian leaders and the United States put pressure on the beleaguered generalsMay 12th 2011
Japan unplugged
Naoto Kan seeks to tap into the nation’s energy-saving moodMay 12th 2011
Tough love, or plain tough?
The government stakes its credibility on balancing the booksMay 12th 2011
Bloody business
Rare in this part of the world, an outside body is allowed to peer inMay 12th 2011
Low expectations
In Singapore winning 7% of parliamentary seats is tantamount to an opposition triumphMay 12th 2011
International
Me, myself and them
From indigenous peoples to newly installed migrants, governments face awkward demands for collective exemptions and entitlementsMay 12th 2011
Nothing new under the sun
Some dictators may have fallen, but human-rights abuses continueMay 12th 2011
Fighting road kill
The WHO has a plan to make the world’s roads less lethalMay 12th 2011
...isn't destiny, one hopes
Good and bad news from the UN’s population projectionsMay 12th 2011
Middle East and Africa
The International Criminal Court bares its teeth
Many Africans resent the ICC, but recent events suggest that they may now be less able to ignore itMay 12th 2011
Pleased to be bourgeois
A third of Africans now live on at least $2 per dayMay 12th 2011
More stick than carrot
The killing goes on, as presidential emissaries put out feelers for dialogueMay 12th 2011
Bumpily ahead
Despite recent riots, Tunisians are still on the road to democracyMay 12th 2011
Feeling ever more nervous
The country’s Christians fear the prospect of sectarian strifeMay 12th 2011
Europe
The unadventurous eagle
Europe’s biggest economic power seems reluctant to have a foreign policy to matchMay 12th 2011
Sarkozy's wars
The voters’ backing for foreign military adventures does not help the presidentMay 12th 2011
Show trials again
A brutal regime is attacking all its internal oppositionMay 12th 2011
Scars, scares and scarcity
East Europeans whinge about security, but few want to pay for itMay 12th 2011
To vote, or not to vote?
Danes face a possible early election, with immigration again a big issueMay 12th 2011
Behind the veil
Women’s influence in politics is growing, but it is still smallMay 12th 2011
Britain
The uncivil partnership
The bonhomie has gone, but the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have together begun remaking the stateMay 12th 2011
Independence by stealth
Alex Salmond has defied predictions. Can he do it again?May 12th 2011
Protection money
A costly debacle has lessons for banks, customers and regulatorsMay 12th 2011
The big dig
The increasing heft of mining firms is a challenge for fund managersMay 12th 2011
Degrees of innocence
The Supreme Court makes it easier for victims of wrongful imprisonment to get compensationMay 12th 2011
Correction: Foot-and-mouth disease
May 12th 2011
Pride after a fall
Reason will get Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats only so farMay 12th 2011
