Meanwhile, the ten-year ceasefire in the war over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is under strain.

ECONOMIST: The chances of change in Armenia remain small

Smith was later forced to leave the field with a back strain, handing over the wicket-keeping gloves to Dougie Lockhart.

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The response rate was low - just over 2, 000 took part - but the union said it still showed a service under strain.

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It was the latest in a string of tit-for-tat murders over the past few months that have placed strain on a ceasefire deal signed in 2002.

ECONOMIST: Staggering back towards war | The

Many short-term foreign loans have been rolled over, relieving the potential strain on those reserves.

ECONOMIST: The IMF and East Asia

Given bipartisan enthusiasm for more spending on education and the armed forces, that would seem a plausible solution, but one that will annoy Republican conservatives, involve haggling over other spending programmes, and strain the unity of the Republicans' six-seat majority in the House.

ECONOMIST: Can Democrats and Republicans ever work together again?

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 2.4% amid worries over a new strain of bird flu spreading in China, which weighed on Hong Kong-listed airline stocks.

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The significant and continuous tension between self-interest and ideals has been a constant, predominant strain in American foreign policy for over 200 years.

ECONOMIST: Letters

Furthermore, the settlement not only was the greatest 19th-century triumph of rational internationalism over short-sighted jingoism, but also marked the breakpoint between the previous 100 years of Anglo-American strain.

FORBES: Fact and Comment