Written by Abby Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai was sentenced [1] to life in prison on September 22, 2013 after being found guilty on charges of corruption, taking bribes and abuse of power. He has decided to appeal after the hearing. According to the South China Morning Post, Bo yelled [2] in anger when the […]
Latin America: Remembering the Disappeared
Written by Laura Vidal · Translated by Kimberly Shiller This is the first part of a two-part article. The Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared [2] and the Organization for the United Nations declared August 30 as an international day of remembrance to commemorate the victims of forced disappearances […]
Madagascar: 90% Subsist on Under Two Dollars A Day
Written by Rakotomalala · Translated by Danielle Martineau Less than two months from the country’s planned election date, there are several questions being asked about the future of Madagascar. In the first installment of our examination of the Malagasy crisis, we discussed the political obstacles [1] that stand in the way of a long-term solution […]
Russia: Monument to Chechen Women Raises Controversy
Last Saturday, September 14, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov dedicated a monument to a group of Chechen women who had died when Russia was establishing control over the North Caucasus in the 19th century. According to the story, which some say is apocryphal, in 1819 forty-six Chechen women taken prisoner by Russian General Yermolov threw themselves […]
China: Thought Leader Charged With Solicitation
Charles Xue, a Chinese American billionaire investor and prominent opinion leader residing in Beijing, was again featured in state-controlled Chinese Central Television (CCTV) reflecting on his attitude as an influential celebrity. It came two weeks after the public humiliation of his arrest and detention under the charge of solicitation of prostitution, also aired by CCTV […]
Russia: Interpretation of Putin’s NYT Op-Ed on Syria
Written by Kevin Rothrock It’s not every day that the Russian President pens an opinion piece in the New York Times, but it happened yesterday, and the American blogosphere promptly lost its collective marbles, as tweeting journalists and surprised ordinary Internet users stumbled over each other to react. In the aftermath of local and regional […]