When blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng flew from Beijing to the U.S. earlier this month, some analysts in the Western and Chinese press predicted that his influence would wane once he left China. It’s difficult to …
corruption
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 25, 2012
Bo Fallout – Reuters reports (exclusively) that Chinese President Hu Jintao has demanded senior Communist Party officials stifle tensions over the ousting of ambitious politician Bo Xilai and show unity as they prepare for a …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 21, 2012
Spillover – Lebanon’s Daily Star reports on escalating violence inside the country after soldiers shot dead a prominent anti-Bashar al-Assad Muslim preacher Sunday. “The gravity of the incident… prompted leaders on both sides …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 18, 2012
Family Business – The New York Times explores at length how China’s so-called ‘Princeling’ generation — the descendants of Communist Party leaders — use family ties to gain jobs, wealth and influence. “Evidence is mounting…[they] have also amassed vast wealth, often playing central roles in businesses closely entwined with the …
For China, Economic Growth Doesn’t Always Equal Happiness
When Bo Xilai, the rising Chinese Communist Party official who was purged in March, gave his last public comments before disappearing into detention, he was wrong about a lot of things. That bit about not being under …
“In fact, those reports made by some foreign media have been circulated long ago on some websites sponsored by the evil cult that the people despise.”
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 27, 2012
Judicial Over-slight – Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper analyzes Thursday’s conviction of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt of court and the custodial sentence lasting “until the rising of the court” – which was 37 …
Purged Chinese Official’s Son Denies Tales of Extravagance: ‘I Have Never Driven a Ferrari’
Bo Guagua, the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai, says that his high-priced overseas education was funded by scholarships and his mother’s work as a lawyer and denied reports that he drove a Ferrari to the U.S. …
Must-Reads From Around the World: April 24, 2012
China’s Crisis – As the Bo Xilai saga continues, the New York Times reveals that for much of the last decade, while the now-disgraced official was moving up the ranks of the Communist Party, his relatives were using his …
Must-Reads from Around the World, April 20, 2012
Bahrain Protests – The Guardian reports on a wave of demonstrations in Bahrain to coincide with the controversial Formula One Grand Prix this weekend. The government and organizers have insisted that the event would proceed as …
“The institution is riddled with corruption and professional decay, compromised by ties of patronage, and asphyxiated by the ever-greater effort required to impose political control.”
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 3, 2012
Taking Stock – The Jerusalem Post says Israel’s security cabinet has been briefed on a worst-case scenario in a potential war with Iran. Israeli TV news station Channel 10 reported that experts estimate less than 300 people would …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 28, 2012
Mounting Pressure – Hot on the heels of allegations Monday by the BBC’s Panorama program that a News Corp. subsidiary company used a computer hacker to sabotage its biggest U.K. rival, the Australian Financial Review has now …