The decision came after months of highly public deliberation, and has been given a cautious welcome by scientists and pro-lifers, although conservatives on the issue are, as expected, angry.

BBC: Bush backs stem cell research

They note the broad welcome for his plan to add pro-growth measures to the euro zone's fiscal austerity.

ECONOMIST: France��s president

More galling still for Russian observers was the spectacle, a few days later, of Mr Clinton receiving a rapturous welcome in Bulgaria, a country where pro-western and pro-Russian groups have, until recently, been finely balanced.

ECONOMIST: Clinton props up the old world | The

But while Mr. Osborne will welcome a BOE shift to a more "pro-growth" agenda, he will be aware the situation demands more than a simple tweak to the BOE approach in response to weak GDP numbers.

WSJ: Wanted: BOE Chief to Tackle 'Jihadists'

James Caan, a pro gambler, shellacks the would-be groom in a welcome-to-Vegas poker game and takes a weekend with Parker as his prize.

NEWYORKER: Honeymoon in Vegas

Welcome, then, to the Surface for Windows Pro, which promises all the niceties of the Surface RT -- compelling design, build quality, performance -- with full support for x86 Windows applications. (That is: every single Windows app released before the end of last year.) And, adding a 1080p display to the mix doesn't hurt.

ENGADGET

In the face of a hawkish Republican rival and in front of an electorate that is in parts fiercely pro-Israel, Mr Obama may feel he has to welcome, or even build on, an Israeli fait accompli in a way he would not have done earlier and might not do after his re-election, should it come about.

ECONOMIST: Attacking Iran