Mr Bush has received praise for being willing to take on discretionary spending, the main source of power for Congress.

ECONOMIST: Holding the line? | The

America's slowdown, though hardly welcome, is one such: Europe's main source of pulling power these days is domestic demand.

ECONOMIST: The euro area's economy

On June 15th, Britain, Sierra Leone's former colonial power and still its main source of foreign aid, agreed to let the former Liberian president, if convicted, serve his prison sentence in the United Kingdom, thereby removing the main obstacle blocking his transfer and trial.

ECONOMIST: Charles Taylor flies to The Hague