Going Rogue – Despite reports in China’s Global Times that North Korea had dismissed the possibility of an imminent nuclear test, Yonhap news agency in South Korea reported officials there as saying its neighbor was “technically …
E.U.
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 22, 2012
Summit Struggle – Ahead of Wednesday’s crunch E.U. summit, Der Spiegel reports that new French President François Hollande will pressure German Chancellor Angela Merkel to agree to euro bonds, which she has so far strictly …
A Royal Party: The Commonwealth Celebrates 60 Years of Queen Elizabeth II
With parades, concerts and even tea with commoners, 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and the royals are traversing the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. In a historic moment in the Northern …
“The National Front surge has effectively set the political agenda for the coming months, and the party will influence the priorities of whatever government comes next.”
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 …
“Dalai should not overestimate his personal value. He is only a tool in the competition between major powers.”
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 16, 2012
Arming Rebels – The Washington Post reveals Syrian rebels battling President Assad’s regime have begun receiving “significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks.” Opposition activists and foreign officials say the arms are paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the U.S., according to the newspaper. But, “Obama …
Rebekah Brooks, Husband Charged in Phone-Hacking Scandal
The convoluted saga of the British phone-hacking scandal seems to have been dragging on longer than a back-to-back performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Yet despite the demise of Rupert Murdoch‘s News of the World, the launching of …
Francois Hollande Sworn in as President of France
The new French leader braves the rain to greet supporters
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 15, 2012
Deal in Nepal – The Kathmandu Post reports that Nepal’s major political parties have agreed to a future form of governance, with executive powers split between a directly elected president and a prime minister elected by parliament. “Negotiators from across party lines said that though the mixed model had some weak points, including a …
More Trouble for Merkel as Pirate Party Raids Its Fourth State Parliament
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 14, 2012
Hunger Pains – The Guardian writes that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned Israel of “disaster that no one could control” as Palestinian hunger strikers near death. Tony Blair, the Middle East quartet representative, …
Leveson Inquiry: Rebekah Brooks, David Cameron and the Meaning of LOL
Another day, another series of embarrassing disclosures about David Cameron at the inquiry into British media ethics. As former News International executive Rebekah Brooks appeared at the inquiry helmed by Justice Brian Leveson …