China limits spread of Hong Kong news
BEIJING — Chinese officials moved quickly to control news reports of the pro-democracy demonstrations that began in Hong Kong over the weekend and by Sunday night had turned into the largest street clashes in decades between civilians and the territory’s police force.
China debates effect on law of Bo Xiliai’s trial
BEIJING — The melodramatic trial of Bo Xilai, the former elite Communist Party official, has been trumpeted by the state media here as a sure sign that Chinese citizens enjoy the benefits of a robust legal system.
Chinese police detain Tibetans in self-immolation protests
BEIJING — Chinese police officials have detained a Tibetan monk and his nephew and accused them of playing a role in a series of self-immolations, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. The move appeared to be part of a campaign to prosecute Tibetans who are accused of aiding others who set fire to themselves in protest of Chinese rule.
Chinese Communist Party still unsettled over charges
BEIJING — With only six weeks to go before the formal unveiling of a new set of leaders for China, Communist Party elders and senior officials are still working to finalize decisions on who will ascend to the top ruling bodies and what policy direction they will adopt for the new team, political insiders and analysts say.
Chinese lawyers chafe at new oath to communist party
BEIJING — China’s Justice Ministry has issued a requirement that new lawyers and those reapplying for licenses swear an oath of loyalty to the Communist Party, another step in a campaign to rein in lawyers who continue to challenge the political and legal systems by which the party maintains power.
Bomb Kills at Least Twenty in Famed Baghdad Book Market
The book market along Mutanabi Street was a throwback to the Baghdad of old, the days of students browsing for texts, turbaned clerics hunting down religious tomes and cafe intellectuals debating politics over backgammon.
Loyalists to Militant Cleric Rally Against U.S. in Massive Protest
Tens of thousands of protestors loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric, took to the streets of the holy city of Najaf on Monday in an extraordinarily disciplined rally to demand an end to the American military presence in Iraq, burning American flags and chanting "Death to America!"
Top Shiite Cleric Opposes U.S. Plan Concerning Baath Party
The most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq has rejected an American-backed proposal to allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to return to government service, an aide to the cleric said on Monday.
Iraqi Blocs Reach an Accord On Oil Revenue Distribution
The Iraqi Cabinet approved a draft of a law on Monday that would set guidelines for nationwide distribution of oil revenues and foreign investment in the immense oil industry. The endorsement reflected a major agreement among the country's ethnic and sectarian political blocs on one of Iraq's most divisive issues.