Saudi Arabia and the United States Awkward relations The American president and the Saudi king will have an unusually edgy meeting BARACK OBAMA may recall a tricky moment when he first met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia five years ago. Bending to shak...
Music festivals Muddy tunes How big outdoor concerts are changing the music industry DOLLY PARTON, an American musician, is used to performing for big crowds. But after her set this year at Glastonbury, Britain's largest music festival, she admitted...
Congressional elections Immovable incumbents The Republican primaries have produced fewer upsets than expected JUSTIN AMASH, a congressman, represents one of the most conservative parts of Michigan. Pat Roberts (pictured), a member of the Senate, rep...
Libya's government Sailing into troubled waters A struggle to control oil exports reflects deeper dysfunction OIL IS our strength, declares a billboard campaign launched by Libya's oil ministry. The advertising is meant to foster national pride in a...
Breaking up the Treasury Your money or your life The knives are out for Whitehall's mightiest department TONY BLAIR once kidnapped a civil servant. It was 2005 and the then prime minister, who was heading to EU budget talks in Luxembourg, needed an e...
Aviation capacity Limited skies Expanding airport capacity in the south-east is a bet on the future of travel EVEN before Sir Howard Davies, an economist mulling where to put extra airport capacity in Britain, rejected the idea of building a big new...
Iran's universities Breathing again The new president is giving students a longer leash AT LEAST one thing hasn't changed, remarked a Tehran University professor who had recently returned to work after several years. The faculty still gossips terribl...
Palestine and Western aid Will it be cut off? The Israelis ponder their next move in the wake of Palestinian reconciliation FEW Arab towns collect rubbish as smoothly as Bethlehem. No sooner have the merchants lowered their shutters at the end of the...
Migrants in the Dominican Republic No place like home The travails of the children of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic NIGHTMARE is about to end for some 24,000 people in the Dominican Republic (DR). For months a court ruling has in effect...
Beautiful game, dirty business Football is a great sport, but it could be so much better if it were run honestly THE mesmerising wizardry of Lionel Messi and the muscular grace of Cristiano Ronaldo are joys to behold. But for deep-dyed internationali...