Newsweek International articles from July 2008

Newsweek International archives from July 2008

The Tragic Tale Of The Last Tuna.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Benjamin Sutherland At current rates, the Mediterranean bluefin will soon be commercially extinct. France scores high over all but fails to protect marine wildlife. The dozen-or-so Libyan tuna boats moored in the French...

Putting Rich Farmers First.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(agricultural subsidy)
July 14, 2008... With food prices rising, the U.S. congress does just the wrong thing. The United States scores better than Europe on agricultural subsidies, but it's backsliding quickly. High food prices have been bad news for consumers, but they have...

Mail Call: A New World Order.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 14, 2008... Our exclusive excerpt of Fareed Zakaria's book, "The Post-American World," prompted applause and new critical thinking worldwide. One reader described "jet-setting Asian urbanites" now apathetic to America. Another warned that the newly...

Not In This Africa.(World Affairs)(Zimbabwe)
July 14, 2008... Byline: ByJonathan Tepperman; With Rod Nordland in Harare, and Andrew Bast and Barrett Sheridan in New York Once the continent would have kept mum as one of its leaders stole an election. Not today. There was a time when a stolen...

Brown's Battleground.(World Affairs)(Gordon Brown, British armed forces)
July 14, 2008... Byline: William Underhill Tony Blair dispatched the British military to the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. But now defense spending is down, and the generals are speaking out. For the British military, it's a long-established...

Haunted By 'Courage'.(World Affairs)(Book review)
July 14, 2008... Byline: John Kampfner; Kampfner is the former editor of the New Statesman. A slew of books shine light on the Blair-Brown years. But one of them is particularly telling. It is that time in the political cycle when revenge and...

The Rows On Embassy Rows.(World Affairs)(US embassies)
July 14, 2008... New U.S. Embassies from Berlin to Beijing stir controversy--but critics miss the point. Public architecture is inherently political, and all the MORE SO for embassies. So it comes as little surprise that German architecture critics have...

The War Premium On Oil.(Point of View)(Viewpoint essay)
July 14, 2008... Speculators may be assuming that Israel and the United States will 'take out' Iranian nuclear facilities. There are two questions being asked around the global water cooler these days, and no one seems to have a very good answer for them....

One Mob, One Vote.(World Affairs)(street protests in Asia)
July 14, 2008... Tantrums rack Asia's new democracies, showing how bad old habits die hard. Even as China and Burma have struggled recently to rebuild from the Sichuan earthquake and Cyclone Nargis, disasters have struck a number of other Asian states. But...

Dark Clouds Over The Delta.(Business)(pearl river delta in Guangdong)
July 14, 2008... Byline: George Wehrfritz; With Ko Shu-Ling in Taipei Factories are closing in the Pearl River Delta, just as Beijing planned. The next step is even harder. It hasn't been determined precisely how many factories succumbed to the...

A Great Unpopular Idea.(Business)(free trade, Doha Development Agenda )
July 14, 2008... The Doha plan isn't sexy, but it's the smartest answer to global problems. In the United States, presidential candidate Barack Obama has been quoted as saying that a commitment to free trade is not in the interests of working Americans. In...

Why Pigs Can't Fly.(Business)(Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Juliane Von Reppert-Bismarck Economists have a new theory as to why the porcine economies of Southern Europe are still so sluggish. It's just over a year since the European Union celebrated its half century. Yet the EU looks...

Words Cannot Express.(The Arts)(performance art in Vietnam)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop In Vietnam, performance art is gaining favor as a way to push boundaries while evading censorship. At first glance, the little red scarf that Vietnamese performance artist Tran Luong is snapping through...

Partially True Confessions.(Point of View)(North Korea's nuclear program)
July 14, 2008... How big is the North Korea deal? North Korea's recent nuclear confession and the quick response from U.S. President George W. Bush bring us closer to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But there are many more steps left. North...

The Military Fights Back.(Point of View)(French armed forces)(Viewpoint essay)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Leo Michel; Michel is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. The French might ask why they are sending more officers to NATO while closing bases at home. French President...

Tibet's Holy Man In Waiting.(The Last Word)(Apo Gaga)(Interview)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Sudip Mazumdar When we are in India, we always talk negatively about the Chinese. But we have to think about the positive side. Born into a nomadic Tibetan family in 1985, Apo Gaga was 7 years old when he was proclaimed the...

How To Lose Iraq.(World View)(status of forces agreement)
July 14, 2008... Grants of immunity have a long and unpleasant history in the Middle East, having caused serious crises. No word better sums up the dangers the United States faces in Iraq today than a four-letter acronym you've probably never heard of:...

From The Balkans To The Band.(Turning Point)
July 14, 2008... Byline: James Blunt; Blunt is an award-winning English singer and songwriter.is an award-winning English singer and songwriter. One of Britain's top rockers on what he learned as a soldier serving with NATO forces in Kosovo. My father...

Green Countries.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(environmental performance index)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Fred Guterl and Barrett Sheridan A global report card on natons doing the most, and least, to clean up the environment. Greens could learn a lot from Franklin Roosevelt about how to track imminent environmental disasters. It...

No Country Is More 'Green By Design'.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Germany)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Stefan Theil Not long ago Berlin resisted every push to clean up its act. Now it's showing the way. Germany ranks 13th, but it was quick to turn its economy green. It is hard to imagine that not so long ago, Germany was one...

The Nuclear Option.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(France)
July 14, 2008... Decades of investment in civilian nuclear power puts france in the energy catbird seat. France ranks 10th in the EPI because of its supply of clean energy. Being poor in oil and coal might once have been considered a disadvantage, but...

Not In Our Park, Mister.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Switzerland)
July 14, 2008... Byline: William Underhill When the Swiss protect land, they mean it. Switzerland ranks No. 1 in the green index, scoring near-perfect marks. For a glimpse of primeval Europe, head for the high mountains of eastern Switzerland. In...

The New Scandinavians.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Lithuania)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Owen Matthews and Karin Rives The legacy of the Soviet nuke program forms the backbone of an environmental comeback. Lithuania ranks 16th overall and is second, to Latvia, in its income group. It's hard to love a hulking...

Winning The Peace.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Colombia)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Steven Ambrus The war on drugs has helped preserve a vast wilderness. Colombia ranks first in its income group, where China ranks last. Colombia has always been proud of its immensely rich wildlife. The nation has the...

The Myth Of Water.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Israel)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Kevin Peraino and Joanna Chen Making the Negev Desert bloom once seemed like a good idea, but it's killing the Dead Sea. Israel ranks 49th on the green index but first among desert nations. Few notions are more deeply...

The Mad Experiment.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Dubai)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Christopher Dickey Dubai's ecology may be a work of genius or insanity, but it's nothing if not artificial. Dubai isn't ranked alone but as part of the U.A.E., which comes in at 112th. Ah, Dubai. No metropolis has ever...

The Threat From Trees.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Indonesia)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Thomas Lovejoy; Lovejoy is president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. Global warming isn't just a problem of cars and smokestacks but of the chain saw, too. Indonesia scores a whopping zero on...

Where Poor Is A Poor Excuse.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; MIDDLE CLASS)(China)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Melinda Liu and Jonathan Ansfield Beijing's brass lags behind leaders of nations with similar incomes. China ranks 113th among all countries, with poor scores in air pollution and other ills of industrialization. Ask...

Putrid Rivers Of Sludge.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(India)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jason Overdorf Delhi's bureaucrats bicker over cholera and the role of city drains and state sewers. India scores 120 on the green index and especially poorly in sanitation. If anybody needed a reminder of how crippling...

When Gray Looks Green.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Russia)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Owen Matthews Rather than tackle its ecological problems, Moscow is cracking down on its ecologists. Russia ranks 28th on the green index, but it's too good to be true. The Russian government takes environmental violations...

Coasting On Past Glory.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Brazil)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Mac Margolis The Amazon is still largely intact, but the future hinges on decisions being made now. Brazil ranks 34th in the green index, ahead of the United States. From the window of a Boeing, few countries are greener...

The Least Green Country On Earth.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; POOR)(Niger)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Scott Johnson What happens when environmental weakness, poverty and poor governance collide. Niger scores 6 on the 100-point green index, last among all nations. Several hundred head of camel, sheep and cattle shoved and...

Doing More With Less.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; SPECIAL REPORT)(Ghana)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Andrew Ehrenkranz In Africa, rainfall and a lack of corruption spells success. Ghana ranks 86 in the green index, near the top among African nations. West Africa is one of the least green regions in the world, but the...

Land, Water And Conflict.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; POINT OF VIEW)
July 14, 2008... As drylands get drier and violence grows, new crises resembling Darfur will arise. The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million...

Save The Planet, Lose The Guilt.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; LESSONS)(green market)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jesse Ellison Just because we all sin against the environment doesn't mean we should believe every "green" idea To get a sense of how well-intentioned people can lose their bearings in the sea of green hype, consider the case...

I'm So Tired Of Being Green.(Cover Story: Who Is the Greenest of Them All?; CLOSING ESSAY)(environmentally-friendly products)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Susan H. Greenberg; With Ana Elena Azpurua and Christopher Werth One recent poll showed that American consumers are increasingly unlikely to spend money on energy-efficient goods and services. I'll admit it: I am a lapsed...

The Myth Of Transparency.(Global Investor)(disclosure of financial statement)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Zachary Karabell; Karabell is president of River Twice Research Both Enron and Parmalat disclosed massive amounts of data as required but were still able to deceive the public. Lehman Brothers, one of the premier Wall Street...

Travel: Beijing Bound.(The Good Life)(luxury hotels)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop Luxury hotels are redrawing Beijing's skyline as the city prepares to welcome the world to the 2008 Olympic Games. By the start of the opening ceremony Aug. 8, China's capital will have an estimated 130,000...

Hot Spot: Figueira Rubaiyat, Sao Paulo.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Sameer Reddy This Jardins outpost of the Rubaiyat family's restaurants--famous for serving meat and poultry from their farm and ranch --is probably the most picturesque eatery in all of Sao Paulo. Ambience: Figueira is built...

4 Hours In Atlanta.(The Good Life)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Elisa Mala Mainly steel and concrete, Georgia's capital doesn't look like much from the highway. But rewards await for those willing to probe a little deeper. Touch stingrays, bonnethead sharks and anemones at the Georgia...

The Maximalist.(The Good Life)(Amaltea bathtub)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Talk about a luxurious soak in the tub. The Amaltea bathtub, designed by Baldi of Florence, Italy, is made entirely of the precious purple gem amethyst, and adorned with 24-karat gold-plated legs. Matching lotion dispenser, soap dish and...

Grooming: Razors To Relish.(The Good Life)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Elisa Mala Shaving doesn't have to be a chore. Luxury razors feel sleek and substantial in the hand as they combat stubble in style. Established in 1805 by the Duke of Edinburgh, Truefitt & Hill offers ebony, faux horn or imitation...

Fashion: Holes In The Sides Of Her Shoes.(The Good Life)(coutout sandals)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Tiffanie Wen From the catwalk to the red carpet, the hot footwear trend this season is cutout sandals.aEvolved from their trendy ankle-boot ancestors,athey offer a sexy spin on booties for warm weather. Oscar de la Renta...

Perspectives.(Perspectives)(Quotation)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... "How much do you earn in a month? When are you going to root out corruption? Can I call you 'elder brother Hu'?" A sampling of questions submitted to President Hu Jintao in his first online chat with Chinese citizens "I don't feel...

The Other Global Warming.(Periscope; SINO-JAPANESE RELATIONS)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Christian Caryl and Akiko Kashiwagi Global warming tops the agenda of the July G8 summit of leading industrial nations in Hokkaido, but warming of a more beneficial sort is coming to Japan, too. Asia's two great powerhouses, China...

Big, But Not Very Bad.(Periscope; GIANTS OF FINANCE)(sovereign wealth fund)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Rana Foroohar Sovereign wealth funds aren't so scary. That's the finding of a new study of SWFs, the booming investment arms of petro states like Saudi Arabia and emerging giants like China. The recent SWF investments into groups...

The First 100 Days of Fighting.(Periscope; SARKOZY WATCH)(Lisbon Treaty)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Clara Zabludovsky As France takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union in July, French President Nicolas Sarkozy looks a little like the bull asked to clean up a china shop. He might kick some of the mess out the door...

By the Numbers: Worldwide Wealth Watch.(Periscope)
July 14, 2008... A new study tracks the nouveau riche across the globe. The number of millionaires continued to boom worldwide in 2007, according to the latest study from Capgemini and Merrill Lynch, which shows where the newly rich are sprouting the...

Cleanest Tour Yet?(Periscope; CYCLING)(Tour de France)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Katie Baker The countdown is on for the 2008 Tour de France and the scandals keep on coming. In June, green-jersey champion Tom Boonen was banned for a positive cocaine test, making him the latest in a string of expulsions that...

Sex, Lies and Pillow Talk.(Periscope; HISTORICAL COUPLINGS)('Intercourse')(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Jessica Bennett William Butler Yeats once said that sex and death are the only things that can interest a serious mind. If that's the case, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler is as serious as they come. His last book,...

A Car For The Future.(Periscope; GREEN AUTOS)(Honda FCX Clarity)(Brief article)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Keith Naughton Honda has unveiled the future of personal transportation: the FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell car that emits only water from its tailpipe and can get the equivalent of 119 kilometers per gallon. The first...

Hope For The Muddled Masses.(The Technologist)(online chat for online shoppers)
July 14, 2008... Byline: Benjamin Sutherland Retailers are starting to offer online chats to help customers who show signs of confusion while shopping the Web. It's enough to make online retailers shudder. About half of all people who visit a...

Mail Call: A Global Problem.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 21, 2008... Readers of our May 19 coverage of the world food shortage expressed concern. One wrote, "we can't afford uncontrolled population growth." Another said, "rich countries must lift barriers to farm imports." A third, linking oil prices to food...

With Fear And Trembling.(World Affairs)(Anglicans)
July 21, 2008... Byline: William Underhill; With Andrew Bast in New YorkWith in New York As Anglicans gather, conservatives from former colonies could stage a schism. Compromise means a lot to Anglicans. Over its 450-year history, the faith has stayed...

South Korea's One-Term Trap.(World Affairs)(Lee Myung-Bak)
July 21, 2008... Byline: B. J. Lee A presidential time limit meant to ward off strongmen condemns Korean politics to chaos. Lee Myung-Bak has had a very public flameout. Since taking office five months ago, South Korea's new president--a CEO-style...

Comeback, Interrupted.(Point of View)(Anwar Ibrahim)
July 21, 2008... The scandal's timing is fishy, and Malaysia's rulers haven't hesitated to squelch dissent in the past. Just a few years ago, Anwar Ibrahim--Malaysia's former deputy prime minister turned opposition leader--was behind bars, and the career...

It's In Your Head.(Business)(influence of social attitude in economic growth)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Stefan Theil A new spate of economic studies say growth may come down to attitudes. Much of the worldwide economic and political debate these days circle around ensuring continued growth--which, it's hoped, will help various...

Following The Herd In China.(Business)(Chinese stock markets)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Duncan Hewitt Beijing's meddling and immature investors make for a dangerous mix in equity markets. For all its communist trappings, China is one of the few countries in the world where the public obsession with the stock...

The Fruits Of Tyranny.(Books)(A Case of Exploding Mangoes)(Book review)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Fasih Ahmed In his witty first novel, a journalist takes on the regime of Pakistan's despised former dictator Zia. No one knows exactly what caused the 1988 plane crash that killed Pakistan's president and ruling military...

A State of Denial.(World Affairs)(Anwar Ibrahim)(Interview)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Kent Anwar speaks out against his charges and Malaysia's teetering government. It's been a tumultuous year in Malaysia. In March, Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister jailed 10 years ago on suspected...

Henrique Meirelles: The Inflation Tamer.(The Last Word)(Interview)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Mac Margolis Everything changed when the Brazilian economy became stable. Now people say, 'What can we learn from Brazil?' Running Brazil's Central Bank used to be about spinning explanations for one of history's worst cases of...

The Plot Against Turkey.(World View)(Ergenekon)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Mustafa Akyol; Akyol is the deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News. The Ergenekon case is the latest salvo in the battle between the ruling AKP and the nationalist old guard. Things are getting very hot this summer in...

European Recession Redux?(Global Investor)(European Union treaty)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Eric Chaney; Chaney is chief economist for Europe at Morgan Stanley. Similarities between 1992 and 2008 are striking. Politics has the same sour taste, and there is the same transatlantic divide. In Europe, economic-history...

Travel: A Munich Milestone.(The Good Life; GOOD LIFE)(Munich's 850th anniversary)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Andrew Moravcsik This is the summer to visit Munich, as the dynamic metropolis celebrates its 850th birthday with two citywide parties. On July 19 and 20 and Aug. 1 to 3, roads and bridges will be closed and illuminated, with...

Hot Spot: Puku Ridge Camp, Zambia.(The Good Life; GOOD LIFE)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Michelle Jana Chan This newly opened lodge is located in South Luangwa National Park, a remote part of southern Africa where tourists are few but wildlife plentiful. Visitors travel an hour by plane from the capital, Lusaka, then...

4 Hours In Cozumel.(The Good Life; GOOD LIFE)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Elisa Mala Nineteen kilometers off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel offers sundry excursions. Home to more than 40 Mayan ruins, ecological parks and reefs that charmed Jacques Cousteau, this one-town island is among...

Food: A Taste Of Designer Chocolate.(The Good Life; GOOD LIFE)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Tiffanie Wen For those looking to send a personal message with chocolate, M&M's will print sweet nothings on 600 grams of their candy for [euro]23, or portraits for [euro]29 (mymms.com).aBut nowaluxury chocolatiers are taking...

Beauty: Beating The Heat With A Spritzer.(The Good Life; GOOD LIFE)(facial spray)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Elisa Mala Summertime and the living is -- refreshing, thanks to facial sprays. Canned or bottled, aerosol or pumped, scented or fragrance-free, these hydrating mists cool parched visages. Lavender notes spring up in Decleor's...

America Needs A War President.(Cover Story: Special Report: What You Need to Know Now; TRUE OR FALSE?)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Fareed Zakaria Life in America is surprisingly normal for a country with troops in two battle zones. George W. Bush is fond of describing himself as a "war president." And he has made many decisions involving soldiers and...

Perspectives.(Perspectives)(Quotation)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter." U.S. President George W. Bush, in a private joke with fellow world leaders at his final G8 summit, where he agreed to consider a 50 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2050 "Europe does not...

What Colombia's Daring Raid Can Teach The United States.(Periscope; GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Steven Ambrus The rescue of 15 military and civilian hostages by Colombia's Army on July 2 was more stealth and bewilderment than shock and awe. Instead of hitting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with air raids,...

Where Blood Runs Thick.(Periscope; FAMILY AFFAIRS)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jason Overdorf For some time now, Indian firms have been growing in competitiveness; companies like Tata, Reliance, and the Aditya Birla Group now rival giant Western multinationals like General Electric and Procter & Gamble. The...

Time To Come Home.(Periscope; HOBNOB WATCH)(G8 leaders)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Michael Freedman Most leaders at last week's G8 summit in Japan shared a dubious distinction: they're unloved at home. George W. Bush is so unpopular his own party doesn't know what to do with him. Same goes for Gordon Brown....

Iraq's Remaining Debt.(Periscope; BY THE NUMBERS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
July 21, 2008... Last week the United Arab Emirates became the first Gulf state to cancel the entirety of Iraq's debt, some $7 billion. This follows the lead of countries such as the U.S. and Cyprus. A look at the recent history of Iraq's obligations: 66.5...

Best Of The Booker, Again.(Periscope; LITERARY PHENOMENA)(Booker Prize)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Katie Baker For the 40th anniversary of the Booker Prize--Britain's annual award for the best novel by a Commonwealth or Irish citizen--a Best of the Booker is being bestowed on July 10. The winner (who gets a trophy and bragging...

Whales On The Agenda.(Periscope; MARINE POLITICS)(commercial whaling)(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Jimmy Langman As delegates from 81 countries converged on Chile for the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting, the host government left little doubt about where it stood on Japan's efforts to overturn the IWC's...

A Tool Of Revolution.(The Technologist)(Facebook protest in Egypt)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Lily Huang The failure of a Facebook protest in Egypt common to new technologies that seem ready to change the world, but not yet. On April 6 in El Mahalla, Egypt, thousands of people showed up for a demonstration in...

Brewed By Lamborghini.(Top Shelf)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Nick Foulkes Rolex's Oyster watch fits the 25-meter rule: it is recognizable long before the brand name is visible. The other day I was sent a press release about a new kitchen. It was unremarkable except for the name...

Mail Call: Hating the Rich.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 28, 2008... Readers of our May 26/June 2 report on luxury were angry that we covered the superrich when natural calamities and a poor economy are causing worldwide suffering. "I'm tired of your articles on rich folks," wrote one. "I won't read it," said...

Advice for Obama.(Expert Opinion)(Barack Obama)
July 28, 2008... Leading pundits from the countries he'll likely visit--and three more he should--offer suggestions. U.K.: Help Unite Our States First the good news: we are all Obamamaniacs now. In a recent Guardian/ICM poll, 53 percent of British...

Mediterranean Bridge Building.(World Affairs)(French-Israeli relations)
July 28, 2008... Byline: Eric Pape Sarkozy has changed how France does business with Israel. It could help transform the Middle East. In the name of diplomacy, leaders sometimes play little tricks. That's what French President Nicolas Sarkozy did as he...

Sleight of Hand.(World Affairs)(Arak nuclear reactor)
July 28, 2008... While the West focuses on Bushehr, Iran builds a potentially more threatening nuclear plant in Arak. Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons has been near the top of the U.S. diplomatic agenda for years now, and stories about...

All Tickets, Please.(Business)(oil price increase leads more people to use mass rail transit)
July 28, 2008... Byline: William Underhill and Andrew Bast; With Daniel Stone in New York As oil prices rise, businesses and consumers alike are ditching planes and cars for more-efficient rail. If the cargo aboard a freight train that rolled into...

A Photographic Journey.(The Arts)('China: Portrait of a Country')(Book review)
July 28, 2008... Byline: Alexandra A. Seno Chinese officials detain some shipments of a new book containing controversial images. In 2001, when the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the right to host this summer's Games, Pulitzer...