Modestly positive trading on European stock markets Monday morning appeared to confirm what euro zone leaders had predicted for weeks: that the decision Friday by Standard & Poor’s to cut the credit rating of nine European …
With U.S.-Burma Ties on the Mend, Will a Lifting of Sanctions Be Next?
The reaction was swift. On Jan. 13 (an auspicious Friday the 13th, it turned out), Burma released 651 prisoners, among them hundreds of democracy activists, ethnic leaders, senior monks and even a former Prime Minister who had …
Global Briefing, Jan. 16, 2011: Protests, Profiles and Putin
‘If I Die, I Die’— Storyful spotlights a video dispatch from Nigeria’s protest movement; here is TIME’s take on the country’s ‘occupy’ strikes.
A New Burmese Day? — TIME’s Hannah Beech asks whether the country’s latest amnesty is a signal of true reform; At Foreign Policy, Aung Zaw profiles the country’s mysterious president, …
Can China Benefit From Growing U.S.-Iran Tensions?
U.S. efforts to reduce global demand for Iran’s oil exports as a means to pressure it into curbing its nuclear ambitions could present major problems for China, the leading customer of Iranian crude exports. China reacted …
In Their Own Words: For Iranians, Negotiations = Stalling
“Ah, the Iranians!” the politician said, eyes lighting up. “They make carpets!”
And his hand fanned across the air between us, a gesture both subtle and appreciative.
It was the winter of 2003, in a chilly room in the …
Photos: Taiwan Voters Head to the Polls, Re-Elect President Ma
After a high-profile campaign season, Ma was elected to a second term in a vote that affirms his efforts to ease the island nation’s tensions with China.
Taiwan Re-Elects President Ma, Bolstering Ties to China
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou was re-elected Saturday, a win that will preserve the cross-strait status quo and likely lead to closer ties with China. Ma, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), fended off …
Taiwan Goes to Vote: What’s at Stake in the Island Nation’s Election
At the headquarters of Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei, three women are hunched over the sink in a second-floor bathroom, scrubbing coins. With soapy fingers, they turn brackish discs to dull
…
Facing Censorship and Abuse, a Chinese Writer Chooses Exile
A Chinese writer who was kept under house arrest for much of the past year and claims he was tortured by police has left China for the United States, saying that he faced unbearable pressure at home. Yu Jie, 38, is known for his …
As France Gets Downgraded, Sarkozy’s Re-Election Chances Get Slimmer
To get an idea about the state of France’s looming presidential election, think of it as something like the American situation in reverse—especially in the all-important “likeability” factor. In France, the incumbent is …
Burma’s Mass Prisoner Release: Has the Regime Truly Turned a Corner?
One by one, they emerged. On Jan. 13, 651 inmates were granted amnesty in Burma, many of them prominent political prisoners, the latest reform in a country whose leaders have surprised even skeptics with their rapid pace of …
Did British Spies Collude in the Rendition and Torture of Libyan Rebels?
On Sept. 15, 2011, as Colonel Muammar Gaddafi scurried from one hideout to another, British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Benghazi to congratulate rebel leaders on their victory. Aware that the U.K. had supported their …
Why Workers in China Are Threatening Mass Suicide
Electronics-manufacturing giant Foxconn, which saw 14 employees commit suicide at its Chinese plants in 2010, has come under renewed pressure after a group of workers reportedly threatened to jump from a building last week. …