Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers form a sort of power couple in economics. They’re the go-to pair on financial issues of marriage, divorce and child-rearing.

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Economics of Family Life, as Taught by a Power Couple

BEIRUT — Fears of an as-yet-undefined Middle Eastern war are darkening the horizons of a Middle East that only a year ago was celebrating the fall of dictators, the ascent of people power and the promise of a new era of democracy. Read full article > >

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Threats of war cloud hopes for Middle East

A Caithness nuclear power plant’s dome, the SS Great Britain and Belgrave Hall Museum are in the running for a jelly replica.

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Nuclear power plant in jelly bid

Nowadays, rather than a perfumed delicacy, a bottle of Côte-Rôtie is more likely to be a powerhouse, big and fruity.

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The Pour: Côte-Rôtie and Its Various Styles – The Pour

The US is working closely with Israel to use diplomacy to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, President Barack Obama says.

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US and Israel ‘in unison’ on Iran

The US is working closely with Israel to use diplomacy to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, President Barack Obama says.

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US and Israel ‘in unison’ on Iran

We have seen the world created by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and it doesn’t work. Oh, yes, it works nicely for the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country, especially if they want to shroud their efforts to influence politics behind shell corporations. It just doesn’t happen to work if you think we are a democracy and not a plutocracy. Read full article > >

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The Citizens United catastrophe

The Greek government is proving powerless to transform an inefficient public administration that has served as a power base for the same political leaders now being asked to dismantle it.

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The Powerful Resist Change to Greek Tax System

UNITED NATIONS — The United States and its European and Arab partners have agreed to drop a demand to impose U.N. sanctions and a voluntary arms embargo on Damascus, in exchange for a commitment from Russia to allow adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution that paves the way for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s departure from power. Read full article > >

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U.S., allies drop Syria sanctions demand, seek deal with Russia at U.N.

Diplomats at the UN Security Council drop reference to a call for Syria’s president to hand over power in their draft resolution, apparently to appease Russia.

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UN text drops Assad handover call

For the past three years, promoters of shale gas and environmentalists opposed to coal-fired power plants have hailed the sudden abundance of U.S. natural gas as a bridge to a renewable-energy future. But natural gas has become so cheap that many energy experts and environmentalists now wonder whether it will turn into a long, bumpy detour. Read full article > >

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Cheap natural gas jumbles energy markets, stirs fears it could inhibit renewables

Urgent change is needed at the Press Complaints Commission which showed its lack of powers in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, the chairman of the body which funds it says.

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Press body ‘needs urgent reform’

The stories about Rick Santorum — to be precise, the stories about Rick Santorum’s 3-year-old daughter — tiptoe around the issue with all deliberate delicacy: Should he be running for president with a child so ill ? Is his decision to run, and his determination to stay in the race, a powerful example of Santorum’s devotion to the cause of life — or an especially vivid illustration of every politician’s overriding ambition? Read full article > >

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Santorum’s choice to run

Many who swept into office last year with aggressive plans to cut spending and curb union powers are sounding less confrontational after a backlash from constituents.

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G.O.P. Governors Soften Tone After Confrontations of 2011

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, was permitted to travel abroad Monday by the nation’s Supreme Court after two months of fending off treason allegations over his purported involvement in a mysterious memo that sought Washington’s help to neuter Pakistan’s powerful military. Read full article > >

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Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan envoy to U.S., allowed to travel abroad