Barometer

Good week

Good week

Voters

From Hawaii to Tory Island, and also in the West Indies islands of Turks and Caicos, voters have this week been casting ballots, the ultimate act of citizenship

Xi Jinping

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And yet, without a ballot being cast, Xi moved a few steps closer to becoming the leader of the world’s most populous nation as the 18th national congress of the Communist Party of China began in Beijing on Thursday

Enda Kenny

The Taoiseach is getting used to basking in the praise of foreign magazines – first as Time cover star, now as German magazine publishers’ European of the Year

Bad week

Rachida Dati

France’s former justice minister is at the centre of yet another high-profile case involving the love lives of France’s political elite. Dati is suing Dominique Desseigne, the man she claims is the father of her child. Desseigne denies paternity, but is refusing to take a test

Bradley Wiggins

The British Olympic hero and Tour de France winner was knocked off his bike and suffered bruised ribs; his mentor Shane Sutton suffered a more serious accident the next day

Karl Rove

The Republican strategist and Fox News pundit provided one of the most bizarre moments of the election night when he disputed Fox’s decision to call Ohio for Barack Obama. The number crunchers stood their ground, and Obama won