European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi arrives to testify before the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in Brussels July 9, 2012. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Inside Draghi's rescue plan

By Paul Carrel, Noah Barkin and Annika Breidthardt

FRANKFURT/BERLIN - Mario Draghi’s unexpected midsummer promise to save the euro set off weeks of frenzied backroom diplomacy and public sparring that would severely test the relationships of the main protagonists in the euro zone crisis.   Full Article 

U.S. home prices rise less than expected in July: S&P; 9:27am EDT

NEW YORK - U.S. single-family home prices rose for a sixth month in a row in July, though the improvement was not as strong as expected, a closely watched survey showed on Tuesday.
Peregrine Financial Group's former Chief Executive Russell Wasendorf Sr. wears an anti-suicide tunic following his arrest on charges of lying to federal regulators in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in July 2012. REUTERS/Linn County Jail/Handout
Special Reports

As Peregrine teetered, founder binged

By P.J. Huffstutter, Ann Saphir, Tom Polansek and David Sheppard

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - As the financial shocks of 2008 savaged his business and exposure of his fraud loomed, futures broker Russell Wasendorf grew increasingly showy and temperamental, sparring with his son and spending erratically.  Full Article 

A hammer used by members of congress at a nail ceremony for the Presidential Inauguration platform is pictured on the west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 20, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Economy

U.S. fiscal cliff looms over global economy

By Alan Wheatley

LONDON - The euro zone has stepped back from the brink of disaster for now, but the global economy could soon be staring into another abyss if U.S. politicians fail to head off $600 billion in automatic austerity that all but guarantees a new recession.  Full Article 

Five-year-old Trey Von, who will be entering kindergarten, selects rulers from among school supplies during a free back-to-school shopping day for low-income families in San Francisco, California, August 7, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
U.S.

Five-year-olds tested as exams gain steam

By Stephanie Simon

With school in full swing across the United States, the littlest students are getting used to the blocks table and the dress-up corner - and that staple of American public education, the standardized test.  Full Article 

China's first aircraft carrier, which was renovated from an old aircraft carrier that China bought from Ukraine in 1998, is seen docked at Dalian Port, in Dalian, Liaoning province September 22, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer
China

Chinese show force as Japan tension festers

By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Terril Yue Jones

TOKYO/BEIJING - China sent its first aircraft carrier into formal service on Tuesday amid a tense maritime dispute with Japan in a show of force that could worry its neighbors.  Full Article 

Republican vice-presidential candidate U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) listens to a question from the audience at a campaign stop in Dover, New Hampshire September 18, 2012. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Elections 2012

Ryan has done little to win voters for Romney

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate has done little to attract voters to the Republican ticket and more think he is not qualified to be president than believe he is ready for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said.  Full Article 

Policemen stand guard inside the north gate of Foxconn Tech-Industry Park in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, September 25, 2012. REUTERS/Michael Martina
Technology

A fresh headache for Foxconn

By Michael Martina

TAIYUAN, China - A brawl at a Foxconn factory that disrupted production at Apple's main China supplier for 24 hours highlights regimented dormitory life and thuggish security as major sources of labor tension in China.  Full Article 

Sardinian miners block the entrance of Carbosulcis mine during a protest in Carbonia, west of Cagliari, August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Italy

Sardinia struggles to leave state aid behind

By Lisa Jucca

INSIDE THE CARBOSULCIS MINE, Italy - With more than 1,000 jobs at risk, the industrial crisis hitting the impoverished island of Sardinia is a political hot potato for technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti as he fights to keep costs down and contain Italy's high debt.  Full Article 

Opinion

Steven Brill

ProPublica’s prize-winning ways

By Steven Brill

As non-profit ProPublica reaches its fifth anniversary, it's time for a full-blown feature about the stellar investigative reporting group and how it might secure its long-term future.   Commentary 

Opinion

Sir Harold Evans

Romney's campaign into oblivion

By Sir Harold Evans

A tendency to misspeak during campaigns is something that Mitt Romney arguably inherited from his father. But his failure to capitalize on Obama's weaknesses speaks to far greater problems than a gaffe or two.  Commentary 

Opinion

Anya Schiffrin

Austerity and the new Spanish poverty

By Anya Schiffrin

Spain is enduring a slow-motion unraveling of a world that was built after the end of the dictatorship that Spain lived under for nearly 40 years. With 50 percent youth unemployment and 24.6 percent general unemployment there is no hope and no end in sight.  Commentary 

Opinion

Hugo Dixon

Banks should learn to say "Just Go"

By Hugo Dixon

A stream of scandals, weak activity, tightening regulation and poor shareholder returns mean that this year is a golden opportunity to make radical cuts in banker compensation. Those who complain should be told to pack their bags.   Commentary 

Opinion

John C. Abell

Why I won't be getting an iPhone 5

By John C. Abell

Don't get me wrong. I'm not abandoning the iPhone, or any smartphone - at least not yet. But the early-adopter instinct to upgrade to the newest device every year no longer applies. With viable 7-inch tablets starting to appear, this marks the beginning of the end of the smartphone’s dominance over our hearts and minds.  Commentary 

Opinion

Jack Shafer

Banning quote approval sounds good, but can it work?

By Jack Shafer

Many praised the Times’s development of a policy to repel control-freak sources, but it's hard to imagine it making much difference. A Washington Post blogger soon found a loophole, and there are many other ways sources can influence reporters.  Commentary 

Reuters TV

Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong waves as she leaves Belfast International Airport on the first stop of her European tour to Britain, Belgium and Cyprus, April 12, 2012. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

China's "bamboo ceiling" in politics

Chinese women have been successful in business and other fields, but they are largely absent when it comes to politics, and an upcoming leadership transition looks unlikely to change that.  Video 

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    China's Vice President Xi Jinping (2nd L) waits for the arrival of U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 19, 2012. REUTERS/Larry Downing

    Beijing Opera: What comes after Hu?

    China’s leadership changeover might be the most important political event of the decade. The country’s new rulers will decide not just the fate of the world’s most populous nation, but of its twenty neighbors, large portions of Africa, and its biggest trade partners, Europe and the United States.  Download the e-book (PDF format)