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Our interactive business-confidence graphic

FOR the second quarter in a row our global business barometer is in positive territory, according to The Economist/FT quarterly survey of over 1,500 executives. Overall confidence, measured as the balance of respondents who think global business conditions will improve over those who think they will worsen, turned positive in the first quarter of this year for the first time since the survey began in 2011. In the latest quarter confidence fell slightly, to plus-5 percentage points from plus-7 three months ago. The biggest fall was in North America, where sentiment is now mildly negative.

IT IS not hard to find reasons why disaffection with the European Union might be growing within Europe. GDP in the euro area has declined for the sixth successive quarter and unemployment is running at record levels in many countries. Germany resents bailing out profligate neighbours and its relationship with France, which has just slipped into recession, is at a low ebb. In Britain, the Conservative prime minister faces one of the periodic uprisings from within his party against membership of the EU. Nonetheless, it is sobering to see a new survey on public opinion in Europe by the Pew Research Centre confirming much of this disgruntlement, and more besides.

MINEWORKERS in Marikana in South Africa went on strike on May 14th, following a weekend of violence and raised tensions between unions in the Rustenburg and Marikana area, north-west of Johannesburg. In August and September 2012, 46 people died and dozens more were injured after miners went on strike over pay. Last year world platinum supply fell to its lowest in 12 years; the chief cause was disruption to mining in South Africa. According to Johnson Matthey, a refiner, the supply of platinum fell by 13% last year, to 175.4 tonnes.

A history of global famine deaths

EARLIER this month the United Nations estimated that 258,000 people died in the Somalia famine between October 2010 and April 2012. The number of deaths caused widespread shock and the proportion—4.6% of the population—was shockingly high. According to Stephen Devereux, an economist at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, famine deaths rarely exceed 2-3% of a country’s population. But the absolute death toll was not especially high by recent historical measures. Mr Devereux reckons that in 35 big famines since 1900, more than 70m people have died from famine or famine-related causes.

The growth of India's working-age population

INDIA will soon have a fifth of the world's working-age population. But many are worried that it is squandering its opportunity. During the boom of the 1990s and 2000s it became fashionable to talk of India's demographic dividend – evoking the experiences of East Asia. There, working-age populations rose at the same time as the ratio of dependents to workers fell. An associated rise in the rate of saving allowed more investment, helping the vast expansion of manufacturing that employed those workers and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

Manchester United's record under the departing boss

SIR ALEX FERGUSON, the English Premier League’s best-known and most enduring manager, announced his retirement on May 8th. The Manchester United boss is not only the most successful in the league’s short history, but the only one to have been in his job since its inception in the 1992-93 season, having become manager in 1986. As the 21st season draws to a close, Sir Alex has just brought the league title back to Old Trafford for the 13th time. But today football in Europe is not just about winning domestic trophies.

NOT long ago, the lion’s share of official aid to poor countries was provided by rich Western governments that carefully report what they give and to whom. But recent years have seen a rapid increase in aid from non-Western sources that do not always prioritise transparency. A new working paper from the Centre for Global Development (CGD) attempts to gauge aid flows to Africa from China, one of the more opaque givers. In the absence of comprehensive official figures, the CGD compiled a database using open-source media reports.