Global Agenda articles from March 2007

Global Agenda archives from March 2007

"Are you a Jew, or something?"; Post-Soviet diary; Our Moscow correspondent ponders the place of Jews in modern Russia.(Travel narrative)
March 1, 2007... Our Moscow correspondent on the nationality question Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday A FRIEND of mine has just "come out." Not as a homosexual, though my friend, who is indeed gay, said the feeling was oddly...

Rethinking risk; Volatility in the markets continues; Various factors lie behind the current turmoil in the markets.
March 1, 2007... Turmoil in the markets has many causes AMERICA boasts the world's biggest and most liquid stockmarkets, and it has long been a cliche that when it sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold. But as other markets mature and capital moves...

A thaw in the offing? Iran and America agree to regional talks about Iraq; A change of diplomatic tone between American and Iran.
March 1, 2007... Iran and America will talk about Iraq. But an intriguing change of diplomatic tone does not show America's policy has shifted IT IS not quite the road to Damascus, nor is it a sign of conversion. But the suggestion this week by Condoleezza...

Grey days; A delayed restructuring plan for Airbus; Political wrangling will continue to dog Airbus.
March 1, 2007... Troubled Airbus finally announces its restructuring plan AS A symbol of European industrial co-operation none come bigger than Airbus's A380 super-jumbo. The vast, twin-decked passenger jet is a potent reminder of what Europe can achieve...

We were there for America; America and the new Europe; Eastern Europe may be a big victim of America's floudering foreign policy.
March 1, 2007... But how long will America be there for Europe? "WIN some, lose some", says a top Lithuanian politician of the looming disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We were there for America. America will be there for us". That sort of breezy...

The third man; France's open presidential election; Francois Bayrou steps up to the plate.
March 1, 2007... The rise of Francois Bayrou makes the election more exciting THE byways of French politics are littered with men once tipped to be president. The voters have a genius for humbling favourites and exalting outsiders. Add the fact that...

A blood-red fairy tale; Post-Soviet diary; Our Moscow correspondent preapres, with mixed feelings, to depart.(travelling Moscow)(Diary entry)
March 2, 2007... Our Moscow correspondent prepares to depart Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday NOT long after I arrived in Moscow, an acquaintance―one of those foreigners who smelt the aroma of money wafting from the...

A thaw in the offing? Iran and America agree to regional talks about Iraq; A change of diplomatic tone between American and Iran.
March 2, 2007... Iran and America will talk about Iraq IT IS not quite the road to Damascus, nor is it a sign of conversion. But the suggestion this week by Condoleezza Rice, America's secretary of state, not only that American officials would join a...

Off to Baghdad-on-sea; Peacekeepers face a tough task in Somalia.
March 2, 2007... The first AU peacekeepers arrive in troubled Somalia PIRATES captured a ship carrying food aid off the north coast of Somalia, near Bargal, this week--a reminder of how far from normalcy this part of the Horn of Africa remains. True,...

The WiFi war-front II; Common sense and home WiFi, part 2; More on securing your network against attack.
March 2, 2007... More on securing your home network LAST week's column (see article) looked at why two out of three home WiFi networks, used for swapping files wirelessly between computers and connecting to the internet, are left wide open for intruders to...

Thailand's ropey politics; Thailand stumbles from one crisis to the next; No stability in Thailand.
March 2, 2007... The finance minister goes, another sign of trouble The resignation of Thailand's finance minister, Pridiyathorn Devakula, on February 28th is another big setback for the military-backed interim government, which continues to stumble from...

A lethal habit; America and the death penalty; A report on a botched execution in Florida.
March 2, 2007... Is the death penalty gradually falling out of favour in America? ANGEL DIAZ took part in a robbery in Miami, in 1979, and was convicted seven years later of killing a bar manager during the crime. In December the state of Florida executed...

A blood-red fairy tale; Post-Soviet diary; Our Moscow correspondent preapres, with mixed feelings, to depart.(Diary entry)
March 5, 2007... Our Moscow correspondent prepares to depart Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday NOT long after I arrived in Moscow, an acquaintance―one of those foreigners who smelt the aroma of money wafting from the...

Looking forward; What may be in the news in the next few days; What may fill the headlines.(China's parliament conference)(Ghana celebrates its independence day)(political activities of George Bush)
March 5, 2007... China's parliament meets, Ghana parties, George Bush goes on tour and interest rates may rise in Europe * SOME 3,000 delegates gather in Beijing on Monday for the start of a two-week meeting of the National People's Congress, China's...

Jobs for the girls; Women and poverty; Fostering economic growth may do more to liberate women than worrying about issues of gender.
March 5, 2007... Economic growth may be the best means to liberate women MAN may labour from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done, says the old proverb. To add insult to injury, she gets less out of her labours than he does. In both rich and poor...

The Wi-Fi war-front II; Common sense and home Wi-Fi, part 2; More on securing your network against attack.
March 5, 2007... More on securing your home network LAST week's column (see article) looked at why two out of three home Wi-Fi networks, used for swapping files wirelessly between computers and connecting to the internet, are left wide open for intruders...

A lethal habit; America and the death penalty; A report on a botched execution in Florida.
March 5, 2007... Is the death penalty gradually falling out of favour? ANGEL DIAZ took part in a robbery in Miami, in 1979, and was convicted seven years later of killing a bar manager during the crime. In December the state of Florida executed him by...

Building on success; Estonia could do better; Estonia needs a better government.
March 5, 2007... Estonia needs a brighter government SUCCESS stories are rare in eastern Europe, and badly needed. That, perhaps, is why Estonia usually gets a good press--and why the elections on Sunday March 3rd were both important and worrying. In...

Goya's war record; Goya and "Los Desastres de la Guerra"; Ten rare artist's proofs come up for sale in London.(Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)(Obituary)
March 5, 2007... Prints as the photojournalism of the 19th century MASTER printers are almost as rare as master draftsmen, and the grumpy, deaf iconoclast, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, like Rembrandt before him, was one of the finest. Of the four great...

A shock to the system; The stockmarket sell-off; The key lies with market mechanics, more than economic fundamentals.
March 5, 2007... It isn't only the economy, stupid WILL the past week's market sell-off prove to have been a seven-day wonder? The investment community quickly split into two camps. One group, which made frequent appearances on CNBC, a financial news...

Fire down below; Energy from the earth; Better government is the key to tapping Asia's fabulous geothermal resources.
March 5, 2007... South-East Asia could have power to spare EARTHQUAKES, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are the price that more than 300m Indonesians and Filipinos must pay for living in the Pacific ocean's "ring of fire", the world's most seismically...

At India's fraying edge; Manipur diary; A rare glimpse into India's troubled north-eastern frontier land.(Manipur's political and economy is in mess )
March 5, 2007... Our South Asia correspondent up "the chicken's neck" Monday I HAVE come to Manipur, one of India's most remote and unruly quarters, mainly because I could. The government doesn't like outsiders nosing about its seven insurgency-strewn...

Senegal's election; Senegal's presidential election; Abdoulaye Wade's victory puts Senegal in a strong position to carry on with reforms.
March 5, 2007... Abdoulaye Wade's victory will help to keep reforms on course According to Senegal's electoral commission, Abdoulaye Wade, the incumbent and candidate of the Sopi 2007 coalition, secured more than 55% of the vote in the first round of...

An odd couple; Understanding Saudi-Iranian relations; After a meeting between the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
March 5, 2007... A meeting of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah was probably less cordial than it appeared IRAN and Saudi Arabia are Muslim heavyweights, the one a Shia republic and a sworn foe of the United States, the other a...

The heroin highway; Manipur diary; A rare glimpse into India's troubled north-eastern frontier land.(Diary entry)
March 6, 2007... Our South Asia correspondent at India's edge Monday | Tuesday Tuesday I WAS on the road around first light, yawning, my kip having been interrupted by a couple of policemen beating up a couple of drunks in the street outside. When...

An odd couple; Understanding Saudi-Iranian relations; After a meeting between the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
March 6, 2007... The leaders of Iran and Saudi Arabia talk IRAN and Saudi Arabia are Muslim heavyweights, the one a Shia republic and a sworn foe of the United States, the other a staunchly Sunni monarchy and America's oldest Arab ally. Decades of quiet...

Labour pains; Why America's unions are losing clout; America's unions are struggling to stay relevant.
March 6, 2007... Union power is fading away, despite the Democrats' efforts IT IS not a happy time to be a union boss in America. Membership dwindled to 12% of the workforce in 2006, down from 12.5% just a year earlier. Private-sector union jobs made up...

Death, decay and the ageing boss.
March 6, 2007... The bigger they come, the harder they hang on ONE treat of the business year is to read the annual letter to shareholders from Berkshire Hathaway's celebrated boss, Warren Buffett. The Sage of Omaha's latest epistle is just out, and it is...

The yen also rises; Japan's currency has been getting stronger; So what if the yen gets stronger?
March 6, 2007... A generally stronger yen may spread a little discomfort LAST week Hiroshi Watanabe, Japan's hawkish deputy finance minister for international affairs, made a moderate splash when he voiced worries about the carry trade--the practice of...

India's budget; India's spending plans; India's budget is good for the long term.
March 6, 2007... More spending on education and health India's budget, unveiled on February 28th, was low on structural reform but high on spending that will aid the economy's long-term prospects. The finance minister, P. Chidambaram, has used the backdrop...

Truth or consequences; Lewis "Scooter" Libby is found guilty of perjury and more; Another blow to George Bush.
March 6, 2007... Lewis Libby, a former chief of staff to vice-president Dick Cheney, is found guilty of obstruction of justice and perjury A JURY has found Lewis "Scooter" Libby guilty on four counts of perjury, false statement, and obstruction of justice....

Fallen kings and fascist loons; Manipur diary; A rare glimpse into India's troubled north-eastern frontier land.(Travel narrative)
March 7, 2007... Our South Asia correspondent goes to India's edge Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday I ASKED for the king and was shown to the palace gate, where a small man in a grey anorak and blue flipflops sat hunched on a stool staring...

Death, decay and the ageing boss.
March 7, 2007... The bigger they come, the harder they hang on ONE treat of the business year is to read the annual letter to shareholders from Berkshire Hathaway's celebrated boss, Warren Buffett. The Sage of Omaha's latest epistle is just out, and it is...

Truth or consequences; Lewis "Scooter" Libby is found guilty of perjury and more; Another blow to George Bush.
March 7, 2007... Lewis Libby, Dick Cheney's ex-aide, is guilty of perjury A JURY has found Lewis "Scooter" Libby guilty on four counts of perjury, false statement, and obstruction of justice. Mr Libby, a former chief of staff to vice-president Dick Cheney,...

A slow-boiled frog; Taiwan and China; Peaceful reunification in 20 years looks a serious possibility.
March 7, 2007... Taiwan may rejoin China peacefully within 20 years TO THE untutored ear, the verbal salvoes lobbed across the Taiwan Strait since the weekend might appear to carry with them an alarming rise in tensions over nearly the last bit of...

To the polls; What prospect for sharing power in Northern Ireland? The Northern Irish vote for a new assembly.(Travel narrative)
March 7, 2007... Elections should be a step towards power-sharing and self-rule in Northern Ireland. But only if fierce old rivals can agree DOES the future of shared government and sustained peace in Northern Ireland now rest in the hands of Ian Paisley, a...

Europe's high-priced life; The high cost of living in Europe's cities; Western European cities are the costliest places to live.
March 7, 2007... Why living in Oslo, Paris or London is so costly Western Europe is the most expensive place in the world to live, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest annual Worldwide Cost of Living survey. Europe is home to eight of the...

Between rival gods; Manipur diary; A rare glimpse into India's troubled north-eastern frontier land.(Calendar)
March 8, 2007... Our South Asia correspondent shares a heathen feast Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday ONLY one kind of foreigner slips through Manipur's tight permit regime, and, as I was leaving my hotel today, I encountered a...

To the polls; What prospect for sharing power in Northern Ireland? The Northern Irish vote for a new assembly.
March 8, 2007... Elections should be a step towards power-sharing DOES the future of shared government and sustained peace in Northern Ireland now rest in the hands of Ian Paisley, a firebrand preacher and the ageing leader of the Democratic Unionist Party?...

The lie of the land; The meaning of Europe; You can stretch it from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
March 8, 2007... Europe is united only by its contradictions SHOULD we ban the term "Europe"? It will be much used--and misused--at the EU's 50-year anniversary celebrations in Berlin. "Europe" is certainly not the European Union. Cities like Konigsberg...

Come fly with me; Flying across the Atlantic; America and Europe may agree an imperfect deal for air travel.
March 8, 2007... A controversial "open skies" deal between America and Europe is far from perfect, but it deserves approval AFTER sitting in the hangar for four years, might an "open skies" deal to liberalise air travel between America and the European...

Boom and gloom; Azerbaijan catches the Dutch disease; Azerbaijan's oil-rich economy suffers from rapid inflation.
March 8, 2007... Azerbaijan's economy, drunk on oil, is suffering rapid inflation Azerbaijan is the world's fastest growing economy, thanks to an oil boom, but it is already running into serious difficulty. A huge expansion in budgetary spending has pushed...

A safe house for dangerous men; Manipur diary; A rare glimpse into India's troubled north-eastern frontier land.
March 9, 2007... Our South Asia correspondent escapes with both kneecaps Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday I WAS not blindfolded on the way to the insurgents' safe house, despite warnings that I would be. All the same, given...

Any colour you like, as long as it's green; Europe's carmakers grumble about planned new rules on car emissions; Even makers of small cars grumble about emissions rules.
March 9, 2007... The environment is centre stage at Geneva's motor show NO MONTAGE of those responsible for global warming is complete without a scene of a gridlocked motorway. But visitors to this week's Geneva motor show will notice that big carmakers are...

Come fly with me; Flying across the Atlantic; America and Europe may agree an imperfect deal for air travel.
March 9, 2007... An "open skies" deal between America and Europe AFTER sitting in the hangar for four years, might an "open skies" deal to liberalise air travel between America and the European Union (EU) soon be cleared for take-off? Europe's transport...

The eyes have it; The vision thing; Learning too see better when lives depend on it.
March 9, 2007... Learning to see better, when lives depend on it BEFORE Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, the American space agency, NASA, was concerned that astronauts might not be able to see on the lunar surface. It was feared that bizarre lighting...

An Iranian puzzle; Iran and the west; A Iranian former deputy defence minister may have defected bearing valuable information.
March 9, 2007... A former minister has apparently defected from Iran ONE of the few certain facts surrounding the disappearance of an Iranian former deputy defence minister is his name: Ali Reza Asghari. Most of the other circumstances are hotly disputed....

Mauritania's politics; Mauritania's election; Presidential elections are likely to go to a second round of voting.
March 9, 2007... The country's presidential elections are unusally open Mauritania holds crucial presidential elections on March 11th. The polls are vital both because they should mark the final transition back to civilian rule, as promised by Colonel Ely...

Winds of change; Europe and the environment; The European Union has announced bold plans to tackle global warming.
March 9, 2007... The EU hopes that its bold plans to tackle global warming will encourage greater effort by America and others to combat climate change SO FAR, 2007 seems to be shaping up as the "year of global warming". As January came, analysts were still...

Winds of change; Europe and the environment; The European Union has announced bold plans to tackle global warming.
March 10, 2007... The EU unveils bold plans to tackle global warming SO FAR, 2007 seems to be shaping up as the "year of global warming". As January came, analysts were still debating the report issued in October 2006 by Sir Nicholas Stern, which urged rich...

Looking forward; What may be in the news in the coming days; What may make the headlines.
March 12, 2007... What may be in the news in the next few days * LORD BLACK, a former newspaper baron, is set to go on trial in Chicago charged with fraud, racketeering, obstruction of justice, money-laundering and tax evasion. The Canadian-born billionaire...

Fact or fiction? Who contributes to Wikipedia? Despite its vulnerability to cranks the online encyclopedia's usefulness should not be underestimated.
March 12, 2007... Wikipedia's variety of contributors is not only a strength The idea of an encyclopedia--a compendium of all the best available knowledge--is as tempting as it is flawed. Truth does not always come in bite-sized chunks. And the notion of an...

An atmosphere of heat; Modern Indian art; Prices have soared, but relative bargains remain.
March 12, 2007... Masterpieces of contemporary Indian art INDIAN art is enjoying a boom driven by the ambitions of a newly rich--often fabulously rich--generation of non-resident Indians for whom expensive art is a badge of success. Indian buyers have become...

The dancing deer's last waltz; The sangai deer of Manipur; New danger for an animal that defied extinction.
March 12, 2007... New danger for an animal that defied extinction THE sangai, or Manipur brow-antlered deer (Cervus eldi eldi), a delicately beautiful animal found only in the hilly north-east Indian state of Manipur, has already had one let-off. In 1951 it...

Where money meets magic; Maastricht diary; A week at the European Fine Art Fair.(Travel narrative)
March 12, 2007... Our books and arts editor at a market for masterpieces Monday ONE hour after the doors open to the select few who are invited to the European Fine Art Fair's preview day, James Ede, quite possibly the most prestigious antiquities...

No tour de force; George Bush finds he is unpopular in Latin America; George Bush's tour of Latin America at least shows the region is not united behind Hugo Chavez.
March 12, 2007... An unpopular trip, but not a pointless one AN EXOTIC, whirlwind, tour can end up feeling rather unsatisfying. In the past few days George Bush has zipped around Latin America, a region otherwise neglected by his presidency, appearing to...

A turn for the worse; A violent crackdown in Zimbabwe; Repression grows worse in Zimbabwe.
March 12, 2007... Torture, killing and the beating of opposition leaders reflect rising tension AS REPRESSION in Zimbabwe grows more brutal, and as the economy sinks deeper into the mud, analysts usually cite a catalogue of reasons why change in the...

Infants massacred for [pounds sterling]1.75m; Maastricht diary; A week at the European Fine Art Fair.
March 13, 2007... Our books and arts editor at a market for masterpieces Monday | Tuesday Tuesday SILVIO BERLUSCONI visited Johnny Van Haeften's stand this week and stopped, like many others before him, to stare long and hard at a Dutch Old Master...

A turn for the worse; A violent crackdown in Zimbabwe; Repression grows worse in Zimbabwe.
March 13, 2007... Protesters are shot, jailed and beaten by police AS REPRESSION in Zimbabwe grows more brutal, and as the economy sinks deeper into the mud, analysts usually cite a catalogue of reasons why change in the wretched southern African country,...

Don't bust the boss; America's corporate crime wave; Is the guilty bosses who get busted, or just the unpopular ones?
March 13, 2007... Corporate crime, media guilt, and the Apple rule AMERICA'S corporate crime wave is the business story that keeps on giving. Many of the alleged crimes took place years ago, but they have lost none of their ability to make headlines. ...

A month down, a month to go; Time ticks away on the North Korea nuclear deal; Will North Korea allow UN nuclear inspectors back in?
March 13, 2007... Is the tentative nuclear deal with North Korea going anywhere? MOHAMED ELBARADEI gets all the cushy jobs. The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, on...

Surprise, another Kremlin win; The pro-Kremlin party in Russia rules the roost; Regional elections in Russia.
March 13, 2007... Russia's regional polls confirm the Kremlin's grip on power Russia's latest round of regional legislative elections has confirmed the continued dominance of the main pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, as well as the emergence of a new,...

A saintly, chain-smoking suicide; Maastricht diary; A week at the European Fine Art Fair.
March 14, 2007... Our books and arts editor at a market for masterpieces Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday NICOLAS DE STAEL was France's Mark Rothko: a sensitive part-aristocrat part-bohemian, a chain-smoking emigre and an obsessive colourist...

No tour de force; George Bush finds he is unpopular in Latin America; George Bush's tour of Latin America at least shows the region is not united behind Hugo Chavez.
March 14, 2007... An unpopular trip, but not a pointless one AN EXOTIC, whirlwind, tour can end up feeling rather unsatisfying. In the past few days George Bush has zipped around Latin America, a region otherwise neglected by his presidency, appearing to...

A month down, a month to go; Time ticks away on the North Korea nuclear deal; Will North Korea allow UN nuclear inspectors back in?
March 14, 2007... Where is the tentative nuclear deal with North Korea going? MOHAMED ELBARADEI gets all the cushy jobs. The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, on...

The revolution has been adjourned; A stroll through Ho Chi Minh city; After twenty years of slow reform, Vietnam's second city has found its balance.
March 14, 2007... Ho Chi Minh City speaks well for post-communism "GUCCI: opening soon", boasts a hoarding covering half a block of Dong Khoi street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. A little further on, a Louis Vuitton outlet is preparing to open opposite the...

Shakedown; Investors get the jitters as America's subprime lenders stumble; What next for America's troubled subprime mortgage lenders?
March 14, 2007... The world's stockmarkets wobble, as America's housing market and some of its mortgage-lenders look troubled ANXIOUS investors had hoped that the worst was over in the suddenly skittish stockmarkets. No such luck. On Tuesday March 13th the...

Old media sue; Behind Viacom's decision to sue YouTube and Google; Viacom wants $1 billion in damages from YouTube and Google.
March 14, 2007... As a continuation of negotiations by other means ACCORDING to Viacom, an "old-media" giant, YouTube is not only a phenomenally popular video-sharing website but also a scrounger that "has built a lucrative business out of exploiting the...

Immigration reform; Another round on American immigration reform; Will immigration reform in America get anywhere?
March 14, 2007... America and Mexico need to sort out their shared border US President Bush has had few gifts to offer his allies in Latin America during his visit in recent days to five countries in the region. While he continues to hold up the prospect of...

Shame Qaddafi, free the nurses; Nurse held hostage in Libyan jails; Electing them to the European Parliament might shame Libya into action.
March 15, 2007... Bulgarians can use democracy to counter blackmail LIBYA'S long imprisonment of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor is scandalous both for the arbitrary suffering imposed on the six victims and for the feebleness of the outside...

The martyr from Detroit; Maastricht diary; A week at the European Fine Art Fair.
March 15, 2007... Our books and arts editor at a market for masterpieces Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday ONE week into the European Fine Art Fair we look down the straight towards Sunday's finish. Attention is turning from the strut...

Shakedown; Investors get the jitters as America's subprime lenders stumble; What next for America's troubled subprime mortgage lenders?
March 15, 2007... Subprime jitters are spreading ANXIOUS investors had hoped that the worst was over in the suddenly skittish stockmarkets. No such luck. On Tuesday March 13th the three big American indices gave back nearly all the ground they had regained...

Shame Qaddafi, free the nurses; Nnurse held hostage in Libyan jailss; Electing them to the European Parliament might shame Libya into action.
March 15, 2007... Bulgarians can use democracy to counter blackmail LIBYA'S long imprisonment of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor is scandalous both for the arbitrary suffering imposed on the six victims and for the feebleness of the outside...

Black shadows; The trial of Conrad Black begins; An epic cast for the trial of Conrad Black.
March 15, 2007... Conrad Black's trial begins TRIALS of the century have become an annual event in the business world, thanks to America's wave of corporate scandals. But the trial of Conrad Black, which began in Chicago on Wednesday March 14th, may...

Rural unrest in China; Poverty lies behind China's rural unrest; 20,000 rural protesters are crushed in central China.
March 15, 2007... Worries about poverty and instability in central China A stand-off between around 20,000 protesters and more than 1,500 police and paramilitary forces in China's Hunan province has ended in bloodshed, with scores of people injured and a...

Inside al-Qaeda's brain? An al-Qaeda "superterrorist" brags; What to make of the testimony of an al-Qaeda terrorist.
March 15, 2007... Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an al-Qaeda bigwig in American custody, admits to a baffling number of wicked deeds THE image of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that is best known to the world is of him looking bedraggled and confused, cranky and unkempt in...

The free beer capital of the world; Texas Diary; The SXSW festival turns Austin into a crazy crossroads of music, nerds, and film.
March 16, 2007... Festival notes from a correspondent in Texas Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday BRANSON, Missouri calls itself the "live entertainment capital of the world" based on a local enthusiasm for dinner theater, a family-friendly...

The party of the century; Maastricht diary; A week at the European Fine Art Fair.
March 16, 2007... Our books and arts editor at a market for masterpieces Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday THE loudest noise at the European Fine Art Fair's opening night last week, other than lots of air-kissing and clinking...

Inside al-Qaeda's brain? An al-Qaeda "superterrorist" brags; What to make of the testimony of an al-Qaeda terrorist.
March 16, 2007... An al-Qaeda bigwig admits to many wicked deeds THE image of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that is best known to the world is of him looking bedraggled and confused, cranky and unkempt in a white t-shirt shortly after his capture in Pakistan in...

The wine drinker's cure for jet-lag; Tick tock goes the body clock; Fly west, drink wine, and other ways to beat jet lag.
March 16, 2007... Adjusting the body clock for travel and time change IT IS a moot point whether much energy will be saved by last Sunday's experiment of bringing daylight saving time (DST) in America forward by a month. But if the change saves lives on the...

Reaching out over the Pacific; Australia and Japan cosy up; The joint declaration on security raises concerns in China.
March 16, 2007... China worries as Japan and Australia sign a security deal Australia and Japan signed a joint declaration on security co-operation on March 13th, upgrading the two countries' security relationship to match their burgeoning economic ties....

Watching, but still waiting; The UN's inaction on Darfur; Will the UN's human rights body dare to say anything about Darfur?
March 16, 2007... Darfur continues to bleed while outsiders, including a UN human rights body, look on AT A summit in 2005, all the member countries of the United Nations agreed on a principle of a "responsibility to protect" civilians from atrocities. The...

Watching, but still waiting; The UN's inaction on Darfur; Will the UN's human rights body dare to say anything about Darfur?
March 17, 2007... Darfur continues to bleed while outsiders look on AT A summit in 2005, all the member countries of the United Nations agreed on a principle of a "responsibility to protect" civilians from atrocities. The fine idea suggested that if a state...

The three faces of Picasso; In a booming market, Picasso booms most; An artist for all purses, up to a point.
March 17, 2007... A small treasure from a great painter AUCTION records may make for flashy headlines, but when it comes to tracking tastes and trends within the market, it can be more revealing to look at market performance over time for individual artists....