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Pakistan struggles to stay afloat
The murder of Salman Taseer comes at an awkward juncture for Pakistan: it is already struggling to deal with a noxious cocktail of hyperinflation, flood devastation and an economy in freefall
Tax man Kan
Prime minister Naoto Kan used his new year press conference to call for cross-party dialogue on reform of Japan’s tax system – he deserves credit for pushing the issue
It’s not bubble 2.0
The $2bn purchase of Facebook equity arranged by Goldman Sachs has highlighted an as-yet small but significant shift in US capital markets
New Congress, new approach
Cynics, tacticians and disdainers of compromise should note that voters may very well reward constructive engagement and punish intransigence
The strange death of the technocracy
The technocracy ultimately depends on the consent of the governed. That is how it should be. Elites may believe the mass of the people mistaken. But they cannot ignore their views
Open up, before it becomes too late
The WikiLeaks episode suggests governments must adapt to digital gadflies. One way to do this would be to start a proper debate on what sorts of information the state can reasonably keep unpublished
Moving into Pole position
Warsaw is taking its place at the EU’s high table after rebuilding relations with its two historical adversaries, Germany and Russia
No longer central but still special
The potential benefits are so great that missions to detect life on extrasolar planets, with more powerful orbital observatories, should rise up the space agencies’ priority lists
Time to take New Year’s eve seriously
So here is a new year’s resolution for the world: take new year’s resolutions seriously. Make them matter. And start the year as you mean to go on
Obama’s moment of decision
For the next two years Barack Obama must contend with a resurgent opposition intent on his defeat in 2012, and a truculent Democratic party. This will make his job difficult but not impossible
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