The Economist: Italian politics – The old guard is back in charge

WHAT we are witnessing in Italy is remarkable, and at times scarcely believable. On April 20th, after five failed attempts to elect a new president, an electoral college that includes the members of both chambers of parliament, plumped for the incumbent, Giorgio Napolitano, who is 87 years old. Nicholas Spiro, a sovereign risk analyst, called it “the clearest indication yet of the utter dysfunctionality of Italian politics”.

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The Economist: The Boston bombings – The manhunt is over

WHEN Barack Obama declared on the day of the Boston bombings that the perpetrators would “feel the full weight of justice”, few had imagined that justice would be so swift. But on April 19th, just four days after the attack, police killed one of the two brothers they suspected of the attack in a gunfight. Later that day, after a massive manhunt, they arrested the other.

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The Economist: Who will be Italy’s next president?

Cowed by the threat of crushing ECB intervention if they dare to go too short of Italian bonds, investors and traders are still pushing to the back of their minds concerns about political uncertainty in Italy. But the uncertainty is still there following its inconclusive election in February, and it has been all too plainly visible in the run-up to the election for a new president which begins today.

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