Next to the World Cups, most football money goes to top European clubs, which are getting better at their own social responsibility but aren’t yet holding their sponsors to account.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has launched an ID card for undocumented migrants, like the Nansen passports issued after the first world war.

Less than six months ago, the US was described as a phoenix risen from the ashes, with an economic recovery, independent energy resources, dominant IT multinationals and a renascent car industry. Now it is an empire in decline, brought down by the indecisive conduct of President Barack Obama . That’s according to the chattering classes. They have made talking about “the strange weakness of America” a minor industry. They claim Obama damaged US credibility over Syria by not launching yet (...)