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The Economist, April 19, 2008

Food: The silent tsunami
Food prices are causing misery and strife around the world. Radical solutions are needed.

The return of Silvio Berlusconi: Mamma mia
Italians may come to regret electing Silvio Berlusconi once again.

McCainomics: One cheer for the Arizona senator
John McCain has followed the Democrats down the populist road.

Zimbabwe: Africa's shame
South Africa's president has prolonged Zimbabwe's agony.

Brazil: An economic superpower, and now oil too
Oil could transform Brazil's economy. But not necessarily for the better.

Derivatives: Taming the beast
It is time to simplify derivatives trading -- but not to stunt it.

Disney: Magic restored
Under its new boss Disney has staged an impressive creative turnaround -- and is making synergy work.

Macquarie Group: For whom the tolls swell
A global bank that epitomised the era of easy credit confounds its critics -- so far.

Cancer therapy: Stemming the tumorous tide
Cancers grow from stem cells. That discovery should translate into better treatment for tumours of all types.

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The Economist, April 26, 2008

Gulf economies: The rise of the Gulf
The Gulf is managing its wealth better during this boom than it did during the last one.

Vietnam: Asia's other miracle
Vietnam has developed at stunning speed by letting market forces do their work. It should free up its politics, too.

Chinese nationalism: Flame on
Rather than shout themselves hoarse, maybe foreign and Chinese protesters could try talking.

The Democrats: Swinging in the wind
How much more of this can the Democrats take?

Bank capital: Joseph and the amazing technicalities
Adjusting banking regulation for the economic cycle.

Recovery at Fiat: The miracle of Turin
The lessons that other carmakers can learn from the fixing of Fiat.

A Special Report on Vietnam
Vietnam has made a remarkable recovery from war and penury. But can it change enough to join the rich world?

UBS: Wealth mismanagement
The Swiss bank gives a candid account of where it all went wrong.

Human evolution: Before the exodus
For two-thirds of its history, Homo sapiens lived exclusively in Africa. Only now are the details of that period becoming clear.

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The Economist, May 3, 2008

China: Angry China
The recent glimpses of a snarling China should scare the country's government as much as the world.

France: Sarkozy's difficult year
The French are right to be disappointed in their president.

Credit crunch: Too soon to relax
Sentiment has improved, but lots of financial problems remain.

Farm subsidies: The right time to chop
Rich-country governments must ignore special pleading to restrict farm trade.

Competition law: The American way of trustbusting
Rooting out price-fixing benefits sound businesses as well as consumers.

American media: On the brink
Some of America's most venerable newspapers face extinction, unless they evolve.

Global monetary policy: Ben's bind
Disentangling the links between the Fed, the falling dollar and the soaring price of the world's commodities.

Gene therapy: Seeing is believing
The prospects for using genes as a therapy may be improving.

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The Economist, May 10, 2008

The Democrats: Almost there
Barack Obama deserves the nomination. It is not yet clear whether he deserves the presidency.

Cyclone in Myanmar: Myanmar's misery
Despite their appalling government, the Burmese people deserve all the help they can get.

Gordon Brown: The agony of Gordon Brown
Britain's prime minister is paying sorely for his mistakes. Is he doomed?

The Palestinians: Still stateless after all these years
They need the world's help. But the Palestinians could also help themselves.

America's housing: Home truths
Congress can't stop people losing their homes, but it can do a little to help.

Russia's new president: Enter, pursued by a new bear
The West should hang tough with President Dmitry Medvedev.

Microsoft and Yahoo!: No deal
Microsoft walks away from Yahoo!, and both companies lose.

American housing: Map of misery
America may well be only halfway through the house-price bust.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis: The roots of chronic fatigue
ME is a puzzling illness, but it appears to have a biological basis and a test for it could be developed.

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The Economist, May 31, 2008

The oil price: Recoil
Painful though it is, this oil shock will eventually spur huge change. Beware the hunt for scapegoats.

Gordon Brown's travails: Picking fights
Listening to voters has not done the prime minister much good. Leading them might.

Corporate governance in Japan: Bring it on
A few signs of progress in Japan; but it must let young workers compete with older ones.

Enlarging the European Union: Chicken or Kiev?
The European Union must not abandon its most successful policy when it comes to Ukraine.

Nuclear proliferation: Iran's endless filibuster
The world must once again ratchet up its efforts to stop Iran from enriching uranium.

The electoral map: Battlefield America
Under George Bush, red states were red and blue states were blue. This year the map could be drenched in purple.

A special report on EU enlargement
If the recent entry of 12 new EU members had been delayed much longer, it might never have happened, argues David Rennie. That would have been an historic error.

Corporate governance in Japan: Power struggles
As Japanese businesses and bureaucrats block outsiders, domestic forces vie to open the country further.

Stock exchanges: The battle of the bourses
Exchanges have gained from merger speculation and rising trading volumes. But competition from whizzy new markets is starting to spoil the party.

Exploring Mars: The Phoenix has landed
Phoenix has arrived on Mars, in search of places where life might exist. But an analysis of the planet's rocks suggests that there is probably none to look for.

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The Economist, May 17, 2008

Banks: Barbarians at the vault
Modern finance is under attack. Yet the banking system has done much better than it is given credit for.

Lebanon: Keep it together
Lebanon's problems reflect those of the wider region. They must be tackled all the same.

Georgia and Russia: Gather round the gorge
The outside world can help deter both Russian bullying and Georgian vote-rigging.

Disasters in China and Myanmar: No time to sit back
China has shown up Myanmar's generals. But it is not too late for outsiders to help the Burmese.

Zimbabwe's election: A huge risk that has to be taken
Africa's leaders should give Morgan Tsvangirai a chance to meet the people's wishes.

Travel and tourism: Asia, beware Benidorm
Booming tourism in emerging economies promises huge benefits. But not if it copies the mistakes of mature markets.

Special Report on International Banking
Banks are bound to fail from time to time. But, asks Andrew Palmer (interviewed here), does the fallout have to be so painful?

Finance in Asia: Pots and kettles
The credit crisis has cooled Asia's ardour towards Western banks. But the region stands to gain even more from opening up than Wall Street does.

The environment: Dead water
Too much nitrogen being washed into the sea is causing dead zones to spread alarmingly.

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The Economist, May 24, 2008

The world economy: Inflation's back
Double-digit price rises are about to afflict two-thirds of the world's population.

Afghanistan: How the "good war" could fail
America needs to lean much harder on Afghanistan's President Karzai.

Diplomacy: Speaking to the enemy
Sometimes it makes sense; sometimes it doesn't; sometimes not talking can be appeasement.

Computers and the environment: Buy our stuff, save the planet
The internet could become as ungreen as aviation. A self-serving solution beckons.

ASEAN, Indonesia and Myanmar: Forcing help on Myanmar
ASEAN needs to play a bigger role in its region, and Indonesia a bigger role in ASEAN.

Medicine: Smart drugs
Drugs to make you cleverer are in the test-tube. Good.

The earthquake in Sichuan: China helps itself
The government's relief effort is impressive; even more inspiring is what ordinary people are doing to fill the gaps.

Computing: Down on the server farm
The real-world implications of the rise of internet computing.

Global housing markets: Structural cracks
The pain in Spain falls mainly on Mr Drains.

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The Economist, May 17, 2008, Special Report

Paradise lost
A special report on international banking.

Banks are bound to fail from time to time. But does the fallout have to be so painful?

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