What the world is reading

Silvio Berlusconi, new Italian PM and leader of the Conservative bloc owes his revival to the economic failures of the Centre-Left Government...

Mamma Mia, The Economist

Silvio Berlusconi, new Italian PM and leader of the Conservative bloc owes his revival to the economic failures of the Centre-Left Government led by Romano Prodi whose policy of increased taxation did bail out Italy from economic turmoil, but proved to be unpopular with Italy8217;s public. Prodi8217;s government also did precious little to carry out much needed economic reforms. Berlusconi8217;s grip on Italy8217;s media8212;via his media set empire8212;also played a pivotal role in his triumph. The Centre-Left is to blame for not dealing with Berlusconi8217;s conflicts of interest in the media. Still, Berlusconi has his job cut out and his first priority has to be economic reforms.

Muhammad Yunus, Prospect

Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with the Grameen Bank8212;the micro-enterprise initiative which he founded. In his profile of Yunus, the pioneer of micro-finance, Mark Hannam discusses the former8217;s latest initiative, 8216;social business8217;. Social business basically means selling basic goods and products8212;like mobile phones, knitwear and medical services8212;at low prices to poor children. Interestingly, Yunus has also set up a joint venture with a French company, Danone, to sell low cost yoghurt to children. While many question Yunus8217; approach to poverty it is impressive because he is not anti-business. In fact, his model is a fine reminder of the fact that business can be an important tool in the crusade against poverty. His model could be useful for other parts of the developing world in Asia and Africa.

Inside Saudi Arabia, Slate

For all those who think that women8217;s emancipation in Islamic countries is an unattainable goal, think again. Nicholas Schmidle using the example of Effat College, an all girls school in Jeddah, explains how slowly but surely Saudi Arabia is going through a social transition8212;especially with regard to women8217;s rights. At Effat school, girls play sports and do not cover their heads, in fact some even shake hands with male guests! Interestingly, the present Saudi establishment also wants cordial relations between Jews and Muslims.

Situation Terminal, The New Yorker

Only a traveller himself can understand the significance of a well-designed airport. In the last few years, however, with an increasing number of travellers, airports in the US and UK are becoming passenger 8216;unfriendly8217;, writes Paul Goldberger. The callous attitude of architects, airport authorities and airlines towards the comfort and convenience of travellers is responsible for this situation. Norman Foster, the man responsible for designing terminal 3 of Beijing airport has got it right, though. He has seen to it that the terminal has a train station connected to downtown Beijing, that there are luxury shops of every kind, that the aesthetic appeal of the terminal is of the highest standard and most importantly, the design of the terminal is such that no passenger can get lost.

BLOG: Overbreadth

Overbreadth is a political satire blog. The funniest post this week is 8216;The Annotated Bush: Climate Change8217; by Cameron Fredman. The post lampoons US President, George W Bush8217;s policies on climate change, by comparing what the President said in his Rose Garden Address on Climate change with what he has actually done.