Why we love music
Biologists are addressing one of humanity's strangest attributes, its all-singing, all-dancing culture: see article

-The world this week-
The world this year
KAL's cartoon

-Leaders-
Trade and the world economy
　Fare well, free trade
Congo
　Stop paying for murder
Israel and the Palestinians
　Lift the siege of Gaza
The Madoff affair
　Dumb money and dull diligence
Evolution
Of music, murder and shopping

-Letters-
On indigenous people, Turkey, RUSAL, asteroids, pensions, words, James Bond

-United States-
Immigration
　The border closes
Barack Obama's BlackBerry
　Subject: Iran
Education
　B+ for the new boy
Cheap skiing
　Slippery slopes
Visiting the Capitol
　Nobody does it better
Lexington
　Shenanigans and seriousness

-The Americas-
Brazil's foreign policy
　The samba beat, with missteps
The mayor of Mexico City
　Backroom boss
Venezuela's alternative currencies
　Tokens of utopia

-Asia-
Pakistan
　United against the wrong enemy
Afghanistan
　The next surge
Thailand
　New face, old anger
China and Taiwan
　Ever cuddlier
Australian tourism
　Joy of the outback

Correction: Eid in Pakistan

-Middle East & Africa-
Somalia's Islamists
　The rise of the Shabab
Uganda
　Catch him if you can
Geothermal power in Africa
　Continental Rift
Egypt and Gaza
　Can nothing be done?

-Europe-
France and the European Union
　Supersarko leaves the podium
German neo-Nazis
　A stabbing pain
Latvia's troubled economy
　Baltic brink
Italy and the Mafia
　Sicilian vespers
Charlemagne
　The magnificence of Nicolas Sarkozy

Correction: Russian oil

-Britain-
Sinking sterling
　Fall from grace
Upgrading railways
　The new age of the train
University applications
　Getting in
Civil partnerships
　Happy anniversary
Bagehot
　Black-sky thinking
※Articles flagged with this icon are printed only in the British
edition of The Economist

-International-
Climate change diplomacy
　Fiddling with words as the world melts
Global protest
　Rioters of the world unite

-Christmas Specials-
Angels

Human evolution
　Why music?
The Fastnet Lighthouse
　Light on a lonely rock
William Tyndale
　A hero for the information age
Tintin
　A very European hero
International man of mystery
　Flying anything to anybody
Oysters
　Gem of the ocean
Board game
　Credit Crunch
Chilies
　Global warming
Sufism
　Of saints and sinners
Birds in China
　The loneliness of the Chinese birdwatcher
The science of shopping
　The way the brain buys
Booms and busts
　The beauty of bubbles
Protectionism
　The battle of Smoot-Hawley
Darwinism
　Why we are, as we are
Ecstasy
　Agony and ecstasy
Cookbooks
　Pluck a flamingo

-Business-
Start-ups in India
　A suitable business
The Siemens scandal
　Bavarian baksheesh

America's car industry

Video games
　Play on
Casual games
　Keep it simple
Face value
　Santa's happy helper

-Finance and economics-
The Madoff affair
　Con of the century
The Federal Reserve
　Ground zero
World trade
　Barriers to entry
Economics focus
　Banks need more capital

-Science & Technology-
Perfume science
　The scent of a man
Engineering
　Steam on
Cosmology
　A shot in the dark
Psychology
　Malice aforethought

-Books & Arts-
“The Tale of Genji”
　Playboy of the eastern world
New crime fiction
　Death in the afternoon
Nature writing
　An English scribbly bark
Barilla's cookery library
　Food for thought

Correction: Georgian gold

-Obituary-
H.M.

-Economic and Financial Indicators-
Overview
Output, prices and jobs
The Economist commodity-price index
GDP growth forecasts, 2009
Trade, exchange rates, budget balances and interest rates
Markets
Pension-fund returns