Catherine Hours

Americans are getting used to the idea of being led by a female president, with political observers dreaming of a showdown between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 election. If polls and a television show about a woman president are any indication, Americans appear willing to elect their first woman president.

Having waged a long and largely successful war against its prolific graffiti artists, New York is seeking to disarm the city’s hold-out "spray-painting punks" once and for all. Since January 1, a raft of new restrictions have come into force, including raising from 18 to 21 the age at which it is legal to possess "graffiti instruments".