• Obama is trying to inject some momentum into the gun debate, but the congressional bill will be a diluted version of his original vision.
• Lebanon has again become a weather vane for the Middle East.
• Evangelical Christians are pushing Republican lawmakers to support US citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants, based on their reading of Bible teachings.
• Sarah Carr writes evocatively of the atmosphere and sectarian violence in Cairo.
• Humour is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against authoritarianism – and dictators don’t like it.
• Jeremy Grant explains why the election in Malaysia will test regional as well as national stability.

Coming up We’re pulling together some of the best reads on the “Iron Lady”. Read more