A selection of new stories from The Economist

Eastern approaches: Fatal floods Floods in Russia kill 170. The response to them reveals interesting things about Vladimir Putin's Russia read more »

Buttonwood: Mastered by the universe It is turning into another difficult year for hedge funds  read more » Babbage: Biblio-tech Take a tour of the library that stores strange materials, from aluminium foam to translucent concrete  read more » Democracy in America: America and Spain How do you say "libertad económica" in English? read more » Game theory: Skidding around Why Formula One racing has not caught on in America read more » Daily chart: Rich and infamous Which countries think that the rich deserve their fortune? read more »