The sorrow and pain is great. The stories of heroic deeds of rescuers and ordinary people are great, too.

The quake left at least 120 people dead, including many children, and obliterated mountain villages.

“If a person comes from behind and he shoots someone dead and he does not ask for watches, he does not ask for money, what is it? If it is not a hate crime, what would it be?”

Questions remain over whether these new Olympic heights filter down to the grassroots or encourage British kids to be fitter, healthier or more virtuous.

Like his campaign itself, Donald Trump’s beliefs cannot be pinned down to any particular ideology.

The local elections suggest an uneasy period for municipal governance in general and the A.N.C.’s leadership in the country.