The week ahead
Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, visits Barack Obama in Washington

Rudd on the tracks
Losing popularity, the Labor Party ditches its leader

State of denial
Reactions to a modest plan to increase the retirement age show how hard reform is in France

Stalin's harvest
What lies behind the violence in Kyrgyzstan

Meet the boss
Can Japan's fifth prime minister in four years succeed where others failed?

Köhler quits
Germany's president resigns after ill-chosen remarks about the war in Afghanistan

Top spill
BP thinks again about how to stanch the flow of oil after “top kill” fails

Realpolitik returns
The National Security Strategy reveals a narrower view of what force can accomplish

Mudslinging
BP tries to “top kill” the Deepwater Horizon leak

Dear Leader,
South Korea sends a firm but measured message to the North

Almost there
The Senate votes for financial reform, but some important issues remain unresolved

Their number is up
Evidence that North Korea torpedoed the Cheonan puts it—and China—on the spot

Red dawn
Thailand’s army marches in to crush the months-long protest in Bangkok

The Tehran tango
The Turkish-Brazilian deal leaves Iran enriching uranium and is unlikely to satisfy the West