BERTIE AHERN, Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister), has good reason to smile. He recently accepted his 26th pay rise in ten years, taking his annual salary to €310,000 ($446,000). He is now better rewarded for leading a country than most of his counterparts, including George Bush. Nicolas Sarkozy's pay increase this week of around 140% only bumps France's president up to $346,000 a year. Heading a small, rich country is the best bet. Earlier this year, Singapore's prime minister was awarded a 26% rise to some $2.1m.

AP