Next came the collapse of Gescartera, a stockbroking house run by an ambitious financier, he too with well-placed friends: a complex tale of greed, nepotism and fraud that cast a vivid light on Spain's traditional old-boy network in business.

ECONOMIST: Some juicy scandals are jangling the government��s nerves

Caravaggio's artistic style, self-taught and hugely inventive, is instantly recognisable stark, vivid and naturalistic, with emphasis on light and shadow, or chiaroscuro.

ECONOMIST: Mercenary and magical

Most of the latter had come from London, drawn, as were Walter Sickert and James McNeill Whistler through several winters in the 1880s, by the vivid and naturalistic subject matter and the preternaturally clear light.

ECONOMIST: Surfing the galleries

The D5200 takes advantage of Nikon's new 24.1-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor to deliver amazing image quality and beautiful HD video that bursts with vivid color, broad dynamic range and gorgeous tones, even in challenging light.

ENGADGET: Nikon D5200 to reach US photographers in late January for $900