NEWS China took a modest step into Middle East diplomacy this week, hosting back-to-back visits from Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Edward Wong reports from Beijing, and Chris Buckley from Hong Kong.
With fair-trade coffee and organic fruit now standard on grocery shelves, consumers concerned with working conditions, environmental issues and outsourcing are increasingly demanding similar accountability from the makers of their T-shirts. The garment factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed hundreds has brought the issue to the forefront. Stephanie Clifford reports.
Iran’s 2009 presidential election was an exuberant and exciting spectacle that aroused a powerful surge of optimism in the populace but that ended with the trauma of a violent crackdown. This year’s vote, taking place under starkly different circumstances, promises to be far more subdued. Thomas Erdbrink reports from Tehran.
Amid the talk of change in Saturday’s elections, Pakistan remains a place where handouts can decide votes and lawmakers are sought out for protection. Declan Walsh reports from Multan, Pakistan.
Officials are investigating reports that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, may have tried to contact Islamist extremists during a trip he made to Russia last year. Ellen Barry reports from Makhachkala, Russia.
An appeals court in Milan upheld a conviction on Wednesday of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for tax fraud, sentencing him to four years in prison and imposing a five-year ban on holding public office. Gaia Pianigiani reports from Rome.
On the Amalfi Coast of Italy, a family’s bid to keep its small business going mirrors the country’s debate about keeping local traditions alive in a global economy. Rachel Donadio reports from Amalfi, Italy.
Europe inched closer Wednesday to establishing a European banking union for the Continent’s largest lenders after the German cabinet approved legislation that would grant the European Central Bank oversight of such institutions. Melissa Eddy reports from Berlin.
ARTS Just months after opening in a former mining town, the Louvre-Lens museum has drawn more than 400,000 visitors. Ratha Tep reports.
The kind of time capsule of that every auction house expert dreams of opened the evening sale of Impressionist & Modern Art held Tuesday at Sotheby’s. It played no mean part in helping the auction house to sell 60 of the 71 works that came up for a substantial $230 million. Souren Melikian reports from New York.
SPORTS The sudden announcement on Wednesday that Alex Ferguson will retire in two weeks’ time after almost 27 years as manager of Manchester United has shaken its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, to say nothing of its effect around the sporting world. Rob Hughes reports from London.
