PITY the pontiff. Not only does he face the urgent task of sorting out sordid power struggles in the heart of the Vatican; in the wider world of Catholicism, rival political camps are eagerly looking forward to his first pronouncements on …

Consumer spending has been surprisingly resilient in the face of a sharp rise in taxes and, more recently, higher petrol prices. It rose 0.3% (after inflation) in both January and February, the government reported this morning, and looks l…

The question is whether inflation can be achieved and managed Japan is back.” That was the simple but – given the country’s trouble-strewn recent history – audacious message that Shinzo Abe carried with him to Washington last month for his…